Why Has Bhopal’s Master Plan Been Stuck For Nearly 22 Years?

Bhopal, the capital city of Madhya Pradesh, has been in need of a new master plan for more than two decades, despite the city's expansion far beyond the original boundaries and population projections set by its last fully implemented plan. This master plan, created in 1995 under Chief Minister Digvijaya Singh's leadership, was intended for a city of around 10-15 lakh inhabitants, but its validity expired in 2005.

Since then, various governments have made attempts to replace the outdated plan, but the process has consistently been halted due to multiple contentious factors. Jayant Kumar Malaiya, a former urban administration and development minister (2004-2008), explained that objections regarding water area reduction or other specific location issues often stall the progress.

Additionally, concerns raised by ministers, chief secretaries, and senior officials can lead to further scrutiny and delays. Following Kamal Nath's Congress government in December 2018, Jaivardhan Singh, the urban development minister (2018-2020), revealed that the new draft master plan was prepared within roughly 10 months using GIS, satellite mapping, and stakeholder consultations.

The draft was publicly presented at Minto Hall in March 2020, but the plan was left unimplemented after the Congress government fell shortly after. Kailash Vijayvargiya, the urban development minister (2013), confirmed that efforts towards drafting Bhopal's master plan were made during his tenure, but various unfavorable conditions and eventual decisions made by the chief minister prevented its finalization.

Dr. Krishna Kumar Dhote, an expert from MANIT Bhopal, suggested that Bhopal consider aspects of Delhi's Master Plan 2047, such as land pooling for expansion, transit-oriented development around metro corridors, infrastructure-led growth, affordable housing, and incentivized FAR-based redevelopment.