Guest houses, dhabas, restaurants, resorts and petrol pumps etc can now be constructed within 500 metres radius along the under-construction ring road and Handia-Kokharaj bypass in Prayagraj.
Prayagraj Master Plan-2031 has got the green signal for commercial construction along the ring road and the bypass. After many amendments, the state government approved Prayagraj-Master Plan-2031 on Tuesday. Now the Prayagraj Development Authority (PDA) will approve development, and construction works only as per the Master Plan-2031, stated the PDA officials.
There was also a demand to convert residential properties to commercial ones along important routes in many areas of the city including Civil Lines. Landowners were making rounds of PDA for such conversions. In Master Plan-2031, commercial maps of ground and first floor will now also be passed in many parts of Civil Lines area and along all important routes of the city. With this change, thousands of residential buildings of the city will be able to be converted into commercial ones. Commercial activities presently are being conducted illegally in most of the residential buildings in these areas.
Likewise, there was a demand for land use change of Jhalwa’s ‘Sabzi Patti’ for years. Vegetables used to be sold here decades ago. Now not a single vegetable shop is set up. Only a ‘Sabzi Patti’ was proposed in Master Plan-2021. There was a demand for years to make the plot of ‘Sabzi Patti’ into a residential one. In Master Plan-2031 approved by the government, green signal has been given for land use change of this ‘Sabzi Patti’. In the Master Plan, the boundary of PDA has been increased by 89 sq km to 398 km. In the new Master Plan, there is a proposal to increase residential land use by 2.09 percent, shared officials.
Bypass of the Golden Quadrilateral to become more lively
The bypass of the Golden Quadrilateral, built from Kolkata to Amritsar, will now become livelier. About two decades ago, a bypass of more than 80 km was built between Handia and Kokhraj. During the construction of the bypass itself, NHAI had planned to open motels on both sides of it, but due to policy reasons, work on it could not start. After getting the approval of Master Plan-2031, now PDA will pass the map for opening guest houses, baraat ghar, dhaba restaurant, resort etc in 500 metres on both sides of the bypass. PDA will now work according to the Master Plan 2031. As per the guidelines given in the Master Plan, maps of residential and commercial buildings will be passed and other development works will be done. This will increase the revenue of PDA, said Ajit Kumar Singh, secretary, PDA.
Illegal constructions along main roads to be legalised by taking mitigation fee
Present illegal constructions on the main roads of the city can now be made legal by taking mitigation fee. This facility given in Master Plan-2031 will be extended to those building owners who constructed residential buildings but started using them for commercial purposes. Those who were using residential buildings for commercial purposes had been demanding that their buildings be converted into commercial buildings for years now. When objections and suggestions were sought from the general public on Master Plan-2031, the most common suggestion was to convert residential buildings on major routes into commercial ones.
