By Abubakar Baba Ahmad.
Bauchi State Government says the aim of establishing the proposed New (Smart) Town Project is to decongest and unbundle the metropolitan city, by opening up the state to economic opportunities and investment towards improving the living condition of residents.
The State Commissioner of Lands and Survey Town Planner Abdullahi Muhammad Gwaram stated this at a Public Presentation and Hearing on the Concepts Plans for Bauchi New Town Project held at Command Guest House Bauchi.
Town Planner Abdullahi Muhammad said before assuming office, Governor Bala Mohammed had conceptualise a plan tagged My Bauchi Project which aims to unbundle the potentials of the state through massive infrastructure development in all sectors of the economy.
“Preparatory to the unbundling situation, Jis Excellency decided that Bauchi is congested, we have been having a lot of influx of People because of the security situation with our neighbours so we have to prepare so that we can be able to accommodate those who are coming from other states of the federation and even the world in general so that we can be able to support them, give them accomodation in terms of residential, in terms of provision for places for them to have their industries and undertake their business”, Town Planner Abdullahi Gwaram explains.
He said the ministry adopted the buttom up approach so as to carry the people and critical stakeholders along in terms of planning and decision making to ensure successful implementation of the project.
The Commissioner used the opportunity to appeal to people in the state to participate in the planning process by making submissions in the form of observations, and criticisms.
Abdullahi Gwaram described Governor Bala Mohammed’s transformative vision for the state as second to non in view of the massive projects ongoing across the state, tagging him as the Architect of Modern Bauchi state.
Earlier, the General Manager State Physical Planning and Development Control Board Dr Ibrahim Muhammad said the New Town Initiative which measures about 1,269 hectare and is located along Bauchi-Ningi highway adjacent ATBU Gubi campus.
According to Dr Ibrahim Muhammad the site characterized by approximately 80% plain terrain, 15% hilly terrain, and 3% waterways or marshy terrain, is conceptually designed to have Road networks, Neighbourhood Centres among other social amenities and infrastructure to be called a Smart city.
In various submissions, some of the participants suggested the use of satellite imaging in site planning and mapping, as well as provision of adequate security for effective management of the project during implementation.
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