The Uttar Pradesh government has identified 14 cities, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s parliamentary constituency Varanasi, for transformation as per the “growing urban requirements”, and has decided to prepare new master plans for these cities, officials said on Friday.
Apart from Varanasi, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s hometown Gorakhpur, state Capital Lucknow and Gautam Buddh Nagar (Noida) in the National Captial Region (NCR) are also on the list. The other cities are Kanpur, Chitrakoot, Prayagraj, Agra, Moradabad, Jhansi, Mathura, Bareilly, Meerut, and Saharanpur.
The state Department of Housing has been given the task of preparing the development plans. According to officials, the department has started the process of selecting a consultant for the project. While the master plans will be based on the Geographic Information System (GIS), the government plans to also initiate changes in land use to identify proper places for all the amenities to be provided as part of the new plans, which will include work to preserve historical sites and the general beautification of the cities.
Sources in the government said the consultant preparing the master plans would be expected to determine land use as per the current needs of the cities as well as the needs of the future, including rivers, airports, bus stands and military areas, along with the conservation of historical and religious sites, ponds, reservoirs, lakes, wildlife sanctuaries, if any, reserved forest areas and other protected areas. Army firing ranges will be declared “sensitive” areas. The plans will also identify waterworks, sewage treatment plants, and garbage disposal centres.
