Days after the Supreme Court allowed the Madhya Pradesh government to publish a new masterplan for its capital city, Bhopal, the government on Saturday released the draft of the Bhopal Development Plan-2047. It proposes a new framework for the capital’s expansion with greater emphasis on green areas, mixed land use, redevelopment and metropolitan-scale planning.This is the first master plan for the city in over two decades, with the last approved plan notified in 1995 for a planning horizon ending in 2005.The most significant expansion proposal is a 51-km Growth Corridor, with approximately 3,000 hectares earmarked for development. Planned as an economic and urban spine, it will link the proposed Education Knowledge Artificial Intelligence (EKAI) City, airport, proposed CMU, logistics and wholesale areas and suburban developments.Also Read | Madhya Pradesh’s sports push: A complex in each constituency – with a helipadRather than restricting the corridor to a single activity, the plan envisages a mix of hotels, healthcare, IT and AI infrastructure, logistics, wholesale trade, malls, corporate offices, educational institutions and housing. The corridor is also intended to connect with regional routes towards Vidisha, Raisen, Narmadapuram and Indore, with areas around it as transit-oriented zones.Despite the scale of proposed expansion, the plan significantly increases the city’s planned green footprint — from approximately 16% in the 2005 plan to 27% under the 2047 plan.Also Read | As Madhya Pradesh revives public bus network after 21 years, a warning from GadkariThe draft places particular emphasis on protecting Bhojtal and its catchment, forests, hills, ponds, water bodies and tiger movement corridors. Open space at the colony level is proposed to increase from 10% to 12%.A Green Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) mechanism has been proposed to compensate landowners whose land falls in designated green areas while allowing development rights to be transferred elsewhere.Story continues below this adAlso Read | Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav’s family bought 168 acres where his government built roadsThe plan also proposes developing the existing education hub at Bhauri into an EKAI City, centred on education, research, innovation and an AI-based knowledge economy, and links urban expansion with employment generation, identifying economic activity and investment as key drivers of Bhopal’s growth. Anand Mohan J is an award-winning Senior Correspondent for The Indian Express, currently leading the bureau’s coverage of Madhya Pradesh. With a career spanning over eight years, he has established himself as a trusted voice at the intersection of law, internal security, and public policy. Based in Bhopal, Anand is widely recognized for his authoritative reporting on Maoist insurgency in Central India. In late 2025, he provided exclusive, ground-level coverage of the historic surrender of the final Maoist cadres in Madhya Pradesh, detailing the backchannel negotiations and the "vacuum of command" that led to the state being declared Maoist-free. Expertise and Reporting Beats Anand’s investigative work is characterized by a "Journalism of Courage" approach, holding institutions accountable through deep-dive analysis of several key sectors: National Security & Counter-Insurgency: He is a primary chronicler of the decline of Naxalism in the Central Indian corridor, documenting the tactical shifts of security forces and the rehabilitation of surrendered cadres. Judiciary & Legal Accountability: Drawing on over four years of experience covering Delhi’s trial courts and the Madhya Pradesh High Court, Anand deconstructs complex legal rulings. He has exposed critical institutional lapses, including custodial safety violations and the misuse of the National Security Act (NSA). Wildlife Conservation (Project Cheetah): Anand is a leading reporter on Project Cheetah at Kuno National Park. He has provided extensive coverage of the biological and administrative hurdles of rewilding Namibian and South African cheetahs, as well as high-profile cases of wildlife trafficking. Public Health & Social Safety: His recent investigative work has uncovered systemic negligence in public services, such as contaminated blood transfusions causing HIV infections in thalassemia patients and the human cost of the fertilizer crisis affecting rural farmers. Professional Background Tenure: Joined The Indian Express in 2017. Locations: Transitioned from the high-pressure Delhi City beat (covering courts, police, and labor issues) to his current role as a regional lead in Madhya Pradesh. Notable Investigations: * Exposed the "digital arrest" scams targeting entrepreneurs. Investigated the Bandhavgarh elephant deaths and the impact of kodo millet fungus on local wildlife. Documented the transition of power and welfare schemes (like Ladli Behna) in Madhya Pradesh governance. Digital & Professional Presence Author Profile: Anand Mohan J at Indian Express Twitter handle: @mohanreports ... Read More