BHOPAL: The central area of Bhopal is set to experience substantial urban development, with plans to relocate slum settlements near Vallabh Bhawan to the Banganga area and other nearby locations within a 3 to 5 km radius, as per officials.
Reports indicate that nine slum settlements currently near Vallabh Bhawan will be moved to Banganga, close to Jinsi, where around 14,000 permanent residences will be constructed under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model.
The affected communities include Vallabh Nagar, Vallabh Nagar-2, Om Nagar, Bhim Nagar, Durga Nagar-1 and 2, Ashok Samrat Nagar, Kumharpura, and Jhada Colony. Although initial plans for on-site redevelopment were scrapped due to the area’s proximity to the high-security Vallabh Bhawan zone, the administration has now identified government land in Banganga for this new project.
Senior officials, including divisional commissioner Sanjeev Singh, collector Kaushlendra Vikram Singh, and Bhopal municipal corporation commissioner Harendra Narayan, have reviewed the proposal. Construction is expected to begin once the urban administration department approves the detailed project reports. This relocation will free up approximately 125 acres of land in central Bhopal.
Earlier in November, the BMC started conducting computerized socio-economic surveys, which included data entry for households in the identified slums across the capital.
As part of the Jhuggi Mukt Bhopal Yojana, this initiative targets 388 slums and over 1.5 lakh households, focusing on slum rehabilitation in the city with private sector participation.
Post-identification, the slum land will be monetized. Many slums occupy prime locations, and private developers will create new housing for current residents while also developing commercial spaces to ensure the project’s sustainability.
