Mumbai: Sixteen global urban planning consultants are in the race to bag a project to prepare the city’s next development plan (DP).
   The current plan expires in 2013 and the next plan must be ready by then so that it can come into force from January 2014. “If the new plan is not ready and sanctioned then the current plan will continue till that happens,’’ said civic officials.
   The current DP was nearly 20 years in the making. Work on the plan started in 1976-77 and it was sanctioned by the state government in March 1993.
   The DP is an integration of land use and transport planning which aims to facilitate the growth of the economy and improve the quality of life of the citizens. However, hardly 20% of the current DP has been implemented for lack of political will.
   Tinkering with the DP for vested interests has also ensured that most of the development has not followed a plan. For instance, the way the mill land redevelopment was allowed in a piecemeal manner had robbed Mumbai of a great chance to balance construction with open spaces, said planners.
   Officials said urban planners from the UK, US, France, Spain, Australia besides India had bid for the Rs 5 crore project which involves an intense land survey before the map is drawn up. The objective of the forthcoming DP is to give Mumbai a global quality of life.
   “This time, we have planned a detailed survey of the city considering the huge demand for space whether for housing or commercial purposes. Every unit on all plots in the city will be surveyed in detail along with the existing no development zones and open spaces,’’ said officials.
   With its new DP, the BMC wants to open up saltpan lands and reclaim land from the sea for further expansion. By 2031, the city’s population is estimated to be around 22.7 million. The city is expected to generate employment for 9.7 million people. The BMC has an ambitious plan to reduce the population living in slums from the current 50.4% to 14%.
   The demand for housing is expected to go up from the present 14 lakh units to 38.7 lakh units.
   Of the 16 bidders, nine are likely to be invited to submit their proposals for preparing the DP. “The objective is to select the top six and then invite financial and technical bids,’’ said officials. The groundwork for the preparation of the plan will begin only in March next year.