Master Plan for Kochi to be consummated soon

KOCHI: Officials of the Kochi Municipal Corporation (KMC) have commenced preparations to complete the city’s master plan. A discussion was held with various state government departments and stakeholders for completing the same within a year.

A draft master plan for Kochi and its suburbs was completed in 2012, but the final copy is yet to be prepared. Due to delay in the preparation of the master plan, effective implementation of various projects has also been deferred. “Now, the city and surroundings have undergone drastic changes, which calls for a new master plan by taking new changes into consideration,” M Anilkumar, Mayor, Kochi, said. The new plan has to be prepared after incorporation of suggestions from different stakeholders. The government has instructed officials to commence work on the master plan so that it can be completed within a year, Anilkumar added. KMC has planned to complete the master plan in a phased and decentralized manner. Moreover, detailed town planning schemes will also be devised after discussions with people’s representatives and stakeholders. “We should try to design a sustainable city. Compact development models should be adopted for ensuring judicious use of land, which will address the issue of environmental protection and sustainability,” said May Mathew, former Secretary, Greater Cochin Development Authority.