There is a delay in reviewing and incorporating participants’ suggestions, says Manish Gupta
There is a delay in reviewing and incorporating participants’ suggestions, says Manish Gupta
The process of notifying the Master Plan (MPD), 2041 for Delhi is likely to take another six months, according to Delhi Development Authority (DDA) Vice-Chairman Manish Gupta.
talking to HinduMr Gupta said the agency received 33,000 suggestions from residents during board of inquiry hearings held from October to December last year – and is currently investigating them with the help of organizations such as the National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA).
“Many of these suggestions are conflicting and a balance has to be struck with respect to these adverse views, which are complex and time-consuming. In addition, the suggestions which were clear and concise have been incorporated in the master plan. We hope to resolve these issues by the end of March,” Mr Gupta said, adding the revised document would It is likely to be sent to the authorities for approval in April.
Serving as a vision document for the city’s development over the next two decades, the MPD-2041 has set several objectives that include reducing vehicular pollution, providing affordable housing and promoting the night-time economy. This includes making Delhi a “24*7 city” by promoting it. ,
While the draft of the Master Plan of Delhi was uploaded in the public domain in June last year, repeated requests from the participants to extend the public hearing for suggestions and feedback delayed the finalization of the plan, Mr Gupta said. .
Barriers to land pooling policy
When asked about the hurdles faced in the implementation of the DDA’s land pooling policy, the participation window was extended to February 28 from the previous deadline of January 24, Mr. Gupta said due to the “continuing” of the policy. There is no time limit for participation. By nature, he agreed that the agency was facing some hurdles in its execution.
“In the second notification of the policy, in 2018, it says that if 70% of the participants agree for pooling of land, the remaining 30% of the land will be acquired and the cost of acquisition will be borne by 70%. During the initial policy, the Land Acquisition Act of 1894 came into force, which made land acquisition a simpler process. However, with the enactment of the current LARR Act (2013), it makes the process cumbersome, costly and difficult,” Mr Gupta said.
Shri Gupta further emphasized that as per the Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013, the compensation to be paid to individuals is much higher than the market value, unlike the Act of 1894.
“Therefore, the constraint in the land pooling policy is because of these externalities, which have arisen due to the amendment in the Land Acquisition Act. Though, in three to four sectors, we have reached 70% participation, the proximity is a matter of concern, Which we are trying to solve. Hopefully it should be resolved in the next month or so.”
slum rehabilitation
Asked whether the DDA’s in-situ slum rehabilitation projects would achieve the target of making Delhi “slum-free by 2022”, Mr. Gupta said, “I cannot say whether the target will be achieved at this stage.”
Implemented under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana – Urban (PMAY-U), the in-situ slum rehabilitation projects are a part of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) scheme, implemented by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs with the objective of . To ensure proper housing to the eligible slum dwellers with low, middle income group and Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) by 2022.
Emphasizing on DDA’s projects in respect of three Jhuggi Jhopri (JJ) clusters – Landless Camp in Kalkaji, Jailorwala Bagh in Ashok Vihar and Kathputhali Colony in Shadipur, Mr. Gupta said that the projects for Kalkaji and Ashok Vihar camps are in the final stages. And that agency has started the process of allotment.
Earlier this week, the DDA announced that 679 families (out of 2,700) from landless camps were eligible to receive allotment-cum-demand letter for EWS in the agency’s project in Kalkaji Extension. The remaining families were issued deficiency letters and asked to submit the required documents to fulfill their eligibility. Several residents of the camp said they missed out on completing the exercise.
“The issue of eligibility and ineligibility will always be there, there is a policy to decide. Not that anyone residing in JJ cluster will be eligible, there is a cut-off. The problem here is that of documentation, and the remaining families will also be cleared after completing the documentation process,” said Mr. Gupta.