BDA Plots Bhopal’s Growth Spurt, Eyes Lessons from Metro Cities

Image Source: Swarajya

The Bhopal Development Authority (BDA) is taking proactive steps to ensure the proposed Bhopal Metropolitan Area is planned with the highest standards, drawing inspiration from successful metro models across India.

Key Highlights:

BDA will dispatch study teams to leading metropolitan cities—Hyderabad, Mumbai, and Lucknow—to analyze best practices in urban planning, metro integration, and infrastructure development.
The aim is to incorporate proven strategies from these metros into Bhopal’s city expansion blueprint, ensuring efficient transit, sustainable growth, and seamless connectivity.
BDA has initiated the process to hire a national-level consultant, with tenders expected to be opened in June. The selected consultant will prepare a Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the metropolitan area.
The Authority is coordinating with 26 government departments to gather essential data, including road maps and infrastructure plans, to support comprehensive planning.

A major step will be requesting the Town and Country Planning Department to freeze metropolitan boundaries, a prerequisite for formal planning and phased development.

The proposed Bhopal Metropolitan Area will span parts of Bhopal, Sehore, Raisen, and Biora (Rajgarh district), aiming for unified, cross-district development.

The planning horizon is set at 25 years, with work to be executed in phases. Groundwork such as socio-economic surveys and infrastructure mapping will commence once boundaries and coordination are finalized.

Source: Free Press Journal