Leader of Opposition in the Madhya Pradesh Assembly, Umang Singhar, on Wednesday alleged that several key urban master plans in the state have been deliberately delayed, accusing the government of administrative paralysis and internal tussle.
Targeting the Mohan Yadav government, Singhar questioned why master plans for major cities such as Indore, Bhopal and Gwalior have not been implemented.
“Why have these master plans been delayed? Why does the Chief Minister not want them implemented? Residents of Indore and Bhopal are facing difficulties due to this prolonged delay,” he said. He was speaking to reporters on the eighth day of the ongoing Budget Session of the Assembly.
Singhar further alleged that an internal tussle between the Chief Minister and Urban Affairs Minister Kailash Vijayvargiya has stalled the approval process.
“Urban administration is not being given a free hand, nor are concrete decisions being taken. As a result, master plans for major cities have remained pending for nearly a year and a half,” he claimed.
The Congress leader said that while master plans for cities like Indore and Bhopal have not been cleared for nearly two years, illegal colonies continue to mushroom unchecked.
“The differences between the Chief Minister and the Urban Affairs Minister have become evident even inside the Assembly. Either ministers should be given full authority to function or they should resign. Public work should not suffer due to infighting within the government,” Singhar added.
His remarks came a day after Vijayvargiya, responding to questions in the Assembly, stated that the Urban Development Department had prepared and sent draft master plans to the Chief Minister’s Office nearly one-and-a-half years ago.
“It is the Chief Minister’s prerogative to release the master plan. His approval is awaited,” Vijayvargiya said during the discussion.
The debate on urban development began after Congress MLA Jaivardhan Singh raised concerns over the delay in finalising Bhopal’s master plan. Singh, who served as Urban Development Minister in the previous Congress government led by Kamal Nath, pointed out that Bhopal’s master plan had expired nearly 20 years ago.
He further alleged that the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) had also flagged delays in updating master plans. “Is the government deliberately delaying it? People are forced to visit the Town and Country Planning Office repeatedly, where all transactions are handled,” he questioned.
The discussion on urban development and pending master plans continued in the Assembly on Wednesday, with the Opposition pressing the government for a clear timeline on their approval and implementation.
