Focus of Ahmedabad development plan shifts to 2041

Ahmedabad: The draft for a new Development Plan (DP) is to be prepared before the 10-year term of the existing plan concludes. However, the Ahmedabad Urban Development Authority (Auda) has yet to finalize the draft for the new plan, though the 10-year tenure of the Ahmedabad Development Plan 2021 ended a year ago. The reason: Auda has chosen to break with decades of practice. Instead of preparing another 10-year plan, it is drafting a 20-year Development Plan stretching to 2041, a shift driven largely by the prospect of Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar hosting the 2036 Olympics.Auda commenced work on the future vision of the city, but for the first time, it decided to create a 20-year Development Plan instead of the traditional 10-year cycle. This shift to DP 2041 is driven by the likelihood of Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar hosting the 2036 Olympics.To facilitate this, Auda is seeking assistance from institutions like the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) and is outsourcing additional staff. Auda prepared its first draft (DP 2011) in 2001, followed by the second draft (DP 2021) between 2011 and 2014, which the state govt approved in Dec 2014. Work has now begun on the third iteration, DP 2041. In a board meeting in July 2022, Auda approved the proposal for a 20-year plan, including the formation of a ‘DP Unit' and the allocation of funds for consultants and establishment costs. Auda sources indicate that special provisions are being planned for the 2036 Olympics, including the creation of sports facilities via public-private partnerships (PPP). Ensuring land availability is a priority, sources said. While the 2021 plan focused on a ‘Compact City' model based on public transport (offering an FSI of 4.0 along Metro/BRTS routes and 5.4 for the Ashram Road Business District), the 2041 plan aims to project Ahmedabad as a global metropolitan city. Auda is likely to focus on 20 villages within a 5-km radius outside the SP Ring Road, where new infrastructure projects are expected. Although designed for 20 years, the plan will likely include a provision for a revision after 10 years.