JAIPUR: A recent interim order from the Rajasthan High Court has halted the Jaipur Development Authority’s (JDA) plans for jurisdiction expansion. Town planning experts have conducted a new study that highlights significant shortcomings in the proposed draft of the Master Plan 2047.
The findings suggest that the JDA’s proposed expansion might not comply with the Urban and Regional Development Plans Formulation and Implementation (URDPFI) guidelines established by the NDA government in 2015.
Alarmingly, the projected population density in the JDA’s proposed area is only 23 persons per hectare, well below the URDPFI guideline of 175 persons per hectare for cities the size of Jaipur, which has over 5 million residents. This suggests the inclusion of numerous sparsely populated rural regions, which contradicts sound urban planning practices.
Moreover, the study indicates the JDA plans to oversee an area of 6,500 sq km, with 3,500 sq km earmarked for urbanization. However, URDPFI standards stipulate that the urbanisable area for a city like Jaipur should not exceed 457 sq km. This means the JDA is attempting to manage over 3,000 sq km more than typically deemed appropriate for its population.
Experts caution that such planning could severely compromise the quality of civic services and infrastructure for residents. One town planner remarked, “The state government’s desire to extend the JDA’s jurisdiction includes incorporating too many rural areas. This unscientific master plan will adversely affect basic services for ordinary citizens.”
Interestingly, planners have compared the current draft to earlier versions, noting that the 1971 master plan had a more reasonable approach, aligning closely with URDPFI standards.
The Institution of Town Planners, India, previously alerted the Urban Development and Housing secretary about Jaipur’s already insufficient planning structure.
It pointed out that while around 53 Indian cities, including Jaipur, operate within a three-tier administrative framework of municipal corporations, development authorities, and metropolitan regional development authorities, Jaipur functions effectively with only a two-tier system.
Chandra Sekhar Parashar, a retired additional chief town planner of Rajasthan, emphasized that Jaipur lacks the legal structure needed to regulate peripheral rural areas independently and criticized the draft Master Plan 2047 for merging second and third-tier settlements under the jurisdiction of the development authority, despite previous warnings from planners.
