THE draft Bhopal Master Plan 2047 provides for mixed-use and non-residential activities across several land-use categories, including residential, public and semi-public, mixeduse, CMU, TOD and agricultural areas. It also permits certain non-residential activities in developed residential colonies subject to specified conditions. The draft proposes 2,448.84 hectares for mixed use and 1,348.97 hectares for commercial use. Together, the two categories cover 3,797.81 hectares, or about 6.22% of the 61,017.02- hectare developable area. Growth Corridor adds highdensity use: The plan proposes a 51-km Growth Corridor, with about 3,000 hectares earmarked for high-density mixed-use development. The figure should not be directly added to the broader mixed-use and commercial areas, as parts of the corridor may overlap with the existing land-use framework. Residential areas open to commerce: In developed residential areas, specified non-residential activities can continue based on road width and other eligibility conditions. Properties must meet requirements related to prior development, tax payments and non-residential electricity connections. Several areas kept outside: Newly-developed areas, unauthorised colonies, buildings without permission, internal residential roads, green areas, water bodies, forest areas and buffer zones will remain outside these provisions. Experts, however, said road width alone may not reflect an area's capacity to support commercial activity.

 

Low-lying areas pose challenge: Town and Country Planning experts said Bhopal has extensive low-lying areas compared with many major cities. They said drainage and the physical capacity of an area should therefore be assessed before allowing mixed-use activity based primarily on road width. Existing use not enough: Jagdish Singh, Professor in the Architecture and Planning Department at MANIT, Bhopal, said existing non-residential use establishes eligibility but does not show whether local roads, parking, drainage, water supply, electricity, waste management and fire-safety systems can handle the additional load. Parking could strain small plots: The draft proposes one equivalent car space (ECS) for every 50 sq m of built-up area. Experts said this could be difficult on smaller or leased plots. Although the draft allows compensatory payment when parking cannot be provided, Singh said a fee cannot create additional road space or parking capacity. Capacity assessment remains key: The proposed road-width-based approach could open more areas to mixed and non-residential activity. Experts said traffic, parking, drainage, water supply, sewage, waste management and fire safety should also be assessed to determine the actual capacity of each area.