MAHUD Minister Y Khemchand on Saturday said that the GIS-based master plan for greater Imphal for the horizon year 2043 is a key to settle all the major urban issues presently faced in Imphal city.
Speaking during a state level workshop on “GIS-Based Master Plan for Greater Imphal for the Horizon Year, 2043” in Imphal, Khemchand pointed out that being an unplanned city, Imphal is facing a lot of urban issues especially traffic congestion and market issues among others.
Stating that the workshop will further help in any positive rectification of the proposed plan, he said that the plan which has engaged the School of Planning and Architecture, Bhopal for the preparation will be a key to sustainable growth of Imphal city in all aspects.
In his keynote address, chief town planner N Benju said that the vision of the plan is to make Imphal a sustainable regional growth centre and gateway to Asia through land, infrastructure, socio-economic and environmental management.
He informed that the preparation was taken up as a centrally sponsored scheme with 100 per cent funding from the ministry of MOHUA and the provisions laid down for preparation of a master plan in the Manipur Town and Country Planning Act, 1975 has been followed during the preparation of the plan.
Benju elaborated that the area covered by the plan generally known as Greater Imphal Planning Area (GIPA) is 151.55 square kilometre comprising 27 wards of IMC, 16 census towns, five out-growths and 56 villages as defined in the census, 2011.
Stating that the population of the proposed GIPA in 2011 was 5.26 lakh which is estimated to go up to 9.02 lakh in 2043, he said the gross population density during 2011 in the GIPA was 35 persons per hectare (PPH) and is estimated to increase up to 59 PPH in 2043.
The master plan adopts a concept of 20-minute sustainable neighbourhoods, he said, adding that the whole planning area has been divided into seven zones and 51 sub-zones where each of the sub-zones correspond to a 20-minute neighbourhood.
He maintained that the master plan also proposes a new alignment of a ring road which would further improve the overall mobility in the city and the alignment of ring road is such that it can house a new industrial hub, a new freight hub, a new commercial, residential hub, a new ISBT and others.
While the previous Master Plan of 1994 had various designated land uses, it did not have any mixed land use category, however the Master Plan 2043 proposes this new category of mixed land uses which mixes social, economic activities together with residential activities, besides identifying heritage zones and proposes a tourism circuit for promotion of tourism activities, he added.
Bejnu said, the main purpose of the Master Plan is to present policies and proposals to achieve a desirable standard of living and the creation of an efficient physical structure, within which urban activities could take place, at the same time, provide a good environment for living.
The workshop programme also includes a presentation by professor of SPA, Bhopal Nikhil Ranjan Mandal and an interactive session moderated by retired chief town planner N Gitkumar.
The programme was also attended by chairman of PDA L Rameshwor Meetei and MAHUD commissioner M Joy as presidium members.
