New Delhi: After repeated requests for delays and postponements from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government, The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) on Tuesday approved the draft ‘Master Plan for Delhi-2041’. The approval was given in a three-hour meeting at Raj Niwas chaired by LG VK Saxena, who is also the DDA chairman.
Replacing the ‘Master Plan for Delhi – 2021’ implemented in 2007, it sight document – the fourth of its kind – will serve as a conceptual layout envisaging development in the national capital over the next two decades.
LG Saxena Stressed on the emphasis of The Master Plan 2041 is on “inclusive growth, environmental sustainability, green economy, infrastructure development including adequate housing for all sections of the society, innovative interventions like TOD (Transit-Oriented Development) hubs, land pooling and city regeneration” .
a huge statutory document, the The master plan is divided into 2041 Contains 10 chapters and will in two volumes play an important role In determining the size of the “urban environment” of Delhi. The draft will now be sent to the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) for final notification.
IIdentification of corridors and footpaths to promote night time economy, which will help in making Delhi a safer and more livable city, besides higher ground coverage and FAR (Floor Area Ratio) for schools, guest houses etc. Are. YouUnique Features of Master Plan 2041. The draft also proposes development of non-ownership/rental housing and affordable rental housing complexes (especially close to mass transit sites), such as serviced apartments, hostels, student housing and worker housing.
Both civic groups and the AAP, however, fear that gibberish With the implementation of the master plan, its implementation will become difficult.
In a letter dated February 28, DDA member Somnath Bharti urged the LG to postpone the adoption To give “more time” to DDA members in Master Plan 2041Go through this bulky document in detail and consider it and ensure adequate discussion”. Bharti, AAP MLA from Malviya Nagar, argued in her stand that the draft underwent 500 amendments due to “lack of consideration and attention to ground realities”. Was lying.
“What steps are being proposed to be taken to ensure that no more unauthorized constructions/developments take place in Delhi? I will not hesitate to say that all unauthorized development/construction in Delhi is due to complete inaction, possibly deliberately and with the intention of giving a free hand to the builder mafia in Delhi on the part of DDA all these years. a clear reference to mehrauli demolition,
Read also: MCD hard at work, but G20 summit unlikely to end Delhi’s burgeoning landfill
,put the cart before the horse
The ‘Delhi Master Plan – 2041’ has faced criticism from several quarters for its “generalised approach” and the need to imbibe more decentralized and local-level planning for better execution.
AK Jain, former commissioner (planning), DDA, told ThePrint, “Delhi has a population equal to that of England. So you need local level planning to understand the problems in specific areas. Citizens are more concerned about local issues such as drainage, and traffic congestion, among others. It would be good to keep them involved/engaged and make them part of the planning process.”
Most of the features of the draft such as TOD, heritage protection, higher FAR and increased ground coverage for redevelopment were already part of the master plan 2021, He added.
KT Raveendran, former dean of Amity University’s RICS School of Built Environment, said the plan “covers a large swath of land but still has fundamental problems that are inherent in any master plan”.
“The implementation strategy is completely unclear. Now that local plan will be followed by a zonal plan, but it should have been the other way around. Planning should start from the grassroots level and then tie it up to the final master plan. In Delhi, they use horse Keeping the car ahead,” he said.
Such concerns are similar to those raised by citizens’ groups, researchers, academicians and RWAs (Resident Welfare Associations), who came together to ‘…me too delhi‘ campaign in 2021. The idea was to urge the DDA to make the plan more representative and accessible to all by enabling wider public discussions.
This sentiment revolves around the argument that municipalities oversee development based on city-level blocks drawn up by experts who make these decisions in a highly centralized manner, while ignoring – as Raveendran It is said – “the pulse of the people”.
According to Jain, lack of provision for digitization of records and gaps in the application of the policy are other major issues in the draft that need to be addressed. Land-pooling has been tried three-four times and each time it has resulted in problems but they have not been properly addressed in the new master plan. Then there has been no digitization of the records of the flats so that the process can be simplified but this is not being done. Traditional methods of planning are no longer sufficient,” he said.
Jain said that since Delhi is reeling under severe heat during the summer months, the issue of climate change should have been given more priority.
Meanwhile, Raveendran also feared the dilution of public facilities in the Master Plan 2041. He pointed out that despite Delhi having a population of “one plus”, there was no provision for homeless people and night shelters in the draft. Half a million homeless people of whom 70,000 are children”.
(Editing by Amritansh Arora)
Read also: Govt’s plan to make Delhi ‘beggar-free’ still a distant dream, 5-year rehabilitation project stalled