To ensure perfection in drafting the city’s development plan, the Lucknow Development Authority (LDA) has decided to get satellite images of its development area.

In a first, the LDA plans to get aerial pictures of the city and land use-mapping of major urban/rural objects.

According to LDA authorities, the state government has already decided to divide the Lucknow development area in 22 zones for better planned development and that satellite images will help design the layout plans of the zones.

“The process has been started to get the satellite image, digitisation of satellite data and land use-mapping of major urban/rural objects like roads, historical monuments, residential areas, religious buildings and commercial establishments.” said Mani Prasad Mishra, secretary, LDA.

The Lucknow development area is spread over 1,400 square kms approximately, including 350 square kms of urban area and 1,050 square kms of rural area.

“Such a study had been conducted manually in the past, but, there were some inaccuracies, which resulted in errors in the city’s master plan. In satellite images, every detail will be accurate and so would be the mapping of land of different use,” Mishra said.

The LDA will hire a consultant to prepare the ‘base map’ of development area with details of urban and rural settlements, cultivated land, forest, vegetated land/orchards, barren land, waterlogged land, water bodies, canals, brick kilns, national and state highways, other roads, power transmission lines and embankments.

A map of the existing land will be worked out from the base map with details on the areas including

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