The Madhya Pradesh government has prepared the draft of the Bhopal Development Plan 2047, setting out an ambitious long-term vision for the state capital with a focus on environmental conservation, modern infrastructure, economic growth and citizen-friendly urban planning.

The draft, prepared after a prolonged gap, is built around four key pillars; protection of the natural ecosystem, modern and citizen-centric planning, reform-oriented and transformative development, and promotion of self-reliance and economic activities.

The government is now set to invite objections and suggestions from citizens on the published draft.

A screeengrab of the master plan's draft

State Chief Minister (CM) Dr Mohan Yadav said the plan seeks to protect Bhopal’s natural heritage, including Bhojtal, forest areas and tiger movement zones, while providing residents with better facilities, smoother mobility and greater economic opportunities.

51-km growth corridor at the heart of development strategy

One of the major proposals is a 51-km-long Growth Corridor, designed to create an investment-friendly environment and connect key economic and urban areas.

The corridor will link the Education Knowledge Artificial Intelligence (EKAI) City, airport, proposed CMU, logistics and wholesale zones and various suburban areas. High-density, mixed-use development has been proposed along the corridor, covering sectors such as hospitality, healthcare, IT, AI and data centres, logistics, retail, malls, corporate offices, education and housing.

A BRTS corridor has also been proposed, with the possibility of upgrading it to an MRTS in the future. The Growth Corridor will be connected to the city through radial routes and developed as a Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) zone.

Regional routes towards Vidisha, Raisen, Narmadapuram and Indore will also be linked through the corridor to improve connectivity across the metropolitan region.

Green cover raised to 27 per cent

Environmental protection remains a central feature of the draft. The green area, which accounted for around 16 per cent under the 2005 plan, has been increased to approximately 27 per cent under the 2047 plan.

The proposal seeks to protect Bhojtal and its catchment area, along with hills, forests, ponds, water bodies and tiger movement zones.

Around 3,000 hectares have been proposed under Growth Corridors to support economic expansion and employment generation. A greenfield bypass corridor has also been proposed along the outer boundary of the investment area, with 50 metres of green area planned on either side.

The redevelopment of Bhanpur Khanti has also been proposed, including a golf course.

Simplified norms and redevelopment incentives

The draft proposes mixed land use based on road width, in line with the state’s TOD policy, allowing greater integration between workplaces and housing.

Development norms have been simplified, including the removal of ground-floor coverage requirements. FAR provisions have also been designed to encourage optimum land utilisation and investment, with wider roads allowing greater development flexibility.

The plan includes incentives for creative redevelopment, including plot amalgamation and concessions in base FAR. Resident Welfare Associations could also undertake redevelopment of residential apartments with the consent of 70 per cent of residents. Green TDR and Heritage TDR provisions have been proposed to compensate landowners affected by designated green, recreational and heritage areas.

Digital Twin City and stronger safety measures

The draft also proposes a Digital Twin City to enable real-time monitoring of plan implementation, unauthorised construction and mobility-related issues.

Safety measures include networking of private CCTV cameras installed in public places, transparent boundary walls around public buildings and provisions for safer traffic management.

Parking proposals include multi-level and mechanised parking, parking beneath community open spaces and under ROBs and flyovers, besides provisions concerning basement parking and residential society parking.

EKAI City and inclusive facilities

An Education Knowledge Artificial Intelligence (EKAI) City has been envisioned in the Bhauri area as an education hub.

The plan also seeks to encourage charitable facilities such as orphanages, schools and hostels for persons with disabilities, old-age homes and night shelters by exempting them from mandatory FAR calculations. Such activities would be permissible across several land-use categories.

Planning for a city of 4.5 million people

The Bhopal Development Plan 2047 has been prepared for an investment area of 1,016.90 sq km, covering 254 villages and an estimated population of 45 lakh. The proposed developable area has been pegged at 61,017.02 hectares.

Bhopal’s earlier Development Plan 2005 covered an investment area of 601.06 sq km and 146 villages.

As the capital of Madhya Pradesh and a major metropolitan city, Bhopal is known for its lakes, hills and environmentally sensitive landscape. The city also houses Bhojtal, a designated Ramsar site, along with a national park and tiger movement areas.