Archive · 29 Sep 2026
Bhopal 2047 Mixed-Use Plan Raises Traffic, Parking Concerns
Bhopal has prepared a long-term development plan for the year 2047.
The plan would allow homes, shops and other activities to operate together in several areas.
Some activities could be allowed based on how wide nearby roads are.
Experts say this may not be enough because many parts of Bhopal are low-lying.
They are also concerned about traffic, parking, drainage, water, electricity, waste collection and fire safety.
The plan sets aside large areas for mixed-use and commercial development.
It also proposes a Growth Corridor with high-density development.
Experts say parking fees cannot create more road space or actual parking places.
The draft Bhopal Development Plan 2047 permits mixed-use and non-residential activities across several land-use categories based partly on road width.
It earmarks 2,448.84 hectares for mixed-use and 1,348.97 hectares for commercial use, totaling about 6.22% of the developable area.
A proposed 51-kilometre Growth Corridor includes about 3,000 hectares for high-density mixed-use development, though it may overlap other plan categories.
Experts warn that road width alone does not account for Bhopal’s low-lying areas or local infrastructure capacity.
The proposed parking standard of one equivalent car space per 50 square metres could be difficult for smaller or leased properties to meet.
- Who
- The Bhopal Development Plan 2047 and Town and Country Planning experts, including Jagdish Singh of MANIT, Bhopal.
- What
- A draft plan proposes expanded mixed-use, commercial and non-residential development, alongside a 51-kilometre Growth Corridor.
- When
- The proposals concern the draft Bhopal Development Plan 2047; no publication date is specified.
- Where
- Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh.
- Why
- The plan aims to organize future development, but experts question whether road-width rules adequately address infrastructure, traffic and parking capacity.
Planning Proposal
Expert Concerns
Road-width-based permissions
Planning Proposal
The draft would permit specified non-residential activities across several land-use categories according to road width, subject to eligibility conditions and exclusions.
Expert Concerns
Experts argue that mixed-use provisions should not be based on road width alone because Bhopal has more low-lying areas than other major cities.
Existing residential commercial activity
Planning Proposal
Qualifying non-residential activities in existing developed residential premises could continue or be regularised under the draft provisions.
Expert Concerns
Experts say eligibility establishes existing use but does not show whether roads, parking, drainage, water, electricity, waste management and fire-safety systems can support it.
Parking compliance
Planning Proposal
The plan sets a standard of one equivalent car space per 50 square metres and allows compensatory payment when parking cannot be provided.
Expert Concerns
Experts say the requirement may be difficult on small or leased plots, and that a payment cannot create additional road space or parking capacity.
- Mixed-use land
- 2,448.84 hectares
- Commercial land
- 1,348.97 hectares
- Combined area
- 3,797.81 hectares, or about 6.22% of the 61,017.02-hectare developable area
- Growth Corridor
- 51 kilometres, with about 3,000 hectares planned for high-density mixed-use development
- Parking standard
- One equivalent car space per 50 square metres of built-up area
- Eligibility conditions
- Prior development, taxation and non-residential electricity connections
- Excluded areas
- Newly developed areas, unauthorised colonies, buildings without permission, internal residential roads, green areas, water bodies, forests and buffer zones