Zirakpur MC objects to draft master plan

The objections filed by MC state that as per the resolution passed in the House on August 21,the VIP Road,Lohgarh Road,Kohinoor Dhabha Wali Road,US Estate Road,Khishanpura Road,Mahavir Palace Road,High Ground Road,stretches from Ambala Road to Gazipur Road,Grid Road to Dhakoli,and Baltana Road to Railway Crossing should not be widened.

Also,according to the MC,mixed land use as per the master plan of the Department of Town and Country Planning should be maintained,as major construction activity has already taken place in the area.

It has also demanded to review the floor area ratio and change of land use conditions and suggested that assistance of local bodies may be taken to rectify the draft master plan.

Earlier,the Housing and Urban Development Department had asked for objections from the public about the draft master plan of Zirakpur. One month’s time — till September 9 — was given to file objections.

The Municipal Committee filed its detailed objections on the last day.

MC president N K Sharma said,“I want the haphazard growth of Zirakpur to stop. Only planned development should take place. I’m not against the master plan. It should be implemented,but in a practical way seeing the ground realities.”

Sharma admitted that he was in the final stage of construction of Savitri Towers residential complex on the VIP Road — a project of his company — and that he has other real estate projects in the pipeline.

“Roads,including the VIP Road,can be widened but only by a few meters. The plan to widen it to 150 metres is not possible,as there are buildings on both sides,” Sharma added. “In case of other roads also,people have built houses on both sides. One cannot pull down these houses to widen the roads.”

Besides the MC’s objection,six other objections have been filed by builders Royal Empire (Group) and Pir Muchalla Kishanpura Builders Association and four Panchkula residents.

Both Royal Empires (Group) and Pir Muchalla Kishanpura Builders Association said the road from Pir Muchalla to Kishanpura,which is 25 metres wide,should not be extended to 48 metres,and that roads under the MC limits are not defined properly in the plan.

The four residents have said the area reserved in the master plan as ‘institutional’ should be marked as ‘residential’.

The draft master plan states that Zirakpur will have four hubs — regional-cum-business centre,recreational precinct,a new business park (part of aviation hub) and Industrial estate,besides residential areas.

New residential areas will be developed after taking into account the overall efficiency of existing and proposed transport and infrastructure services. By 2031,26,000 residential units are planned,and by 2056,86,000 are planned.

Haphazard growth a routine
As the land sells at a premium,every yard of available space in Zirakpur has been utilised for commercial use. Going by the construction activity in the area,vacant space would soon be a thing of past.

With no regulated growth,the area is emerging as a concrete jungle. No byelaws are followed and haphazard growth is routine.

As hundreds of multi-storied apartments crowd the area,unplanned growth threatens to wreck the already fragile infrastructure of the township.