Re: [mpisgmedia] DMP-2021 Public Notice? from SarbaJit Roy

Dear Gita,

As a concerned public citizen I toodled down to Vikas
Sadan INA and barged into the pr. Comm cum Secys
office and generally hassled everyone in sight.

It seems that shortly a printed book "may" be
available from D-6 Vasant Kunj. Will visit them
tommorrow at D-6.

Anyway, just thouight I'd send you a rough copy of my
NCR 2021 Draft objection below (sorry for the
formatting problems):- I plan to take the stand that
MPD-2021 is below the NCR Plan in hierachy, playing
both ends against the middle. I pLan to compare and
contrast the "wonderfully" printed NCR document with
this highly evasive piec of crap that MPD-2021 "Draft"
is.

BTW: the 2 guys to hassle at D-6 VAsant Kunj are the
Asst.Comm Planning (Ashok Kumar) Tel:2612-4875 and
Dir Planning Tel : 26125474. Lets circulate these
numbers about to work them up good and proper.


"To:
The National Capital Region Board
India Habitat Centre, Lodhi Road
New Delhi,


Kind Attn : The Secretary

Date : 08-February-2005

Dear Sir,

Sub : Suggestions / Objections to the Draft of NCR
Regional Plan 2021.

Please find below my brief comments, sugestions and
objections to the draft regional plan 2021 for the NCR
region ("the draft"). I would be honoured to be
called before the Committee being set up to examine
these matters and to make further more detailed
submisisons and presentations on the same.

1) I say that whereas the draft is quite detailed in
terms of its
statistical base, which seems date to about year 2001,
the draft document
appears to be stale and already somewhat out of date -
being stuck at about the year 2001 and does not
incorporate additional situations and Supreme Court
judgements after such time. This aspect needs to be
urgently addressed.

2) I say that the draft has well identified the
growing influx of persons
into NCT Delhi which is straining the resources of
Delhi. I fully back the
thrust of the draft in throttling all activities which
would make NCT Delhi a magnet to attract outsiders to
NCT Delhi. I fully back the draft in banning
activities such as the CommonWealth Games 2010 which
would make NCT Delhi a magnet for labour classes etc
influxing into NCT Delhi, such as they did after the
Asian Games in 1982 etc. I say that the draft needs to
further examine and specify and tackle aspects to
control influx and migration into NCT Delhi consistent
with the Constitutional safeguards under Article 19
etc.

3) I say that the draft has properly identified that
recommendatory
measures are not enough, but that these should be made
mandatory and that
enforcement of all the Plans including sub-Master
Plans and Zonal Plans be strictly enforced. I say that
the draft needs to pay more attention to punitive
measures for non-implementation of the Plans including
amendments of all the various "mother" Acts involved
concerning the Plans. I say that if any Planning
Authority fails to discharge their statutory duty to
publish Plans well in time, the concerned officials
should be well punished under legal provisions. By way
of example I highlight the actions of the "Delhi
Development Authority" ("DDA") in failing to publish
Zonal Development Plans under the DDA Act for large
parts of NCT Delhi for over 40 years now.

4) I say that the draft is wrongly promoting "Kundli"
as a NCR metro
area / city. I say that Kundli is wrongly situated and
will draw precious
resources from NCT Delhi. I say the thrust should be
further North beyond
Sonepat to accomodate future expansion of NCT Delhi.

5) I say that the draft still suffers from a
"commanding heights"
philosophy and bias. After having perused the
composition of the committees which have produced the
draft, I say it suffers from over representation of
urban planners, architects and bureacrats, including
some thoroughly discredited persons associated with
the DDA etc. Insufficient care has been taken to
ascertain the views of persons affected by the Plan
provisions such as residents, agriculturists,
industry, occupants of unauthorised colonies etc. I
say that the draft suffers by way of being narrowly
focussed on development of residential and commercial
land aspects largely, and has not well taken into
account the economic activities concerned with quality
of life, which has been dismissed in a few pages.

6) I say that the section concerning Economic Activity
and Industry within NCR and NCT Delhi is most
deficient, inaccurate and badly formulated. I say that
the matters concerning industrial and economic
activities need to be redrafted in-toto so as to
accomodate the various Judgemnents of the Supreme
Court of India including the Judgement dated
07-May-2004 in "M.C.Mehta versus Union of India".
Since this is a vast matter I would prefer to make my
submissions concerning this directly before the
Committee in person considering that the matter is
still sub-judice. However, without prejudice I briefly
say as follows:-

a) That the definition of so-called "hi-tech industry"
in the draft is
most deficient and deals mainly with Computer related
activities. I say that
Computer related activites are highly polluting
industries and as a resident of NCT Delhi am very glad
that these so called hi-tech industries are not yet
widespread in NCT Delhi.

b) That any attempts by the Plan to disperse industry
outside Delhi are
violative of Constitional provisions of Article 19
concerning rights of freedom of movement within India,
rights of residence within India and right to conduct
business and profession within India. I say that
previous Plans have well specified that about 7% of
land is to be allocated in Zonal development Plans
exclusively for Industrial activity, in addition to
the land for commercial activity which includes light
industry. This is within the concept of "walk to work"
prevalent in other advanced countries.

c) The sub-group on Industry for the draft, seems not
to be sufficiently
represented in terms of expert persons from industry
such as myself. Hence
I say the prescriptions are unreasonable and arbitrary
and high-handed.

d) That the draft does not sufficiently address
pollution related
issues and ways to limit and tackle this problem,
especially in the
context of major heavily polluting industries now
operating within
NCR such as at NOIDA, Gurgaon, Manesar, Khushkera
(Raj.), Dharuhera,
Bhiwadi etc.

7) I say that the draft Plan faulty in terms of
location of airports
including International Airports. I say that there are
already plans and
sufficient lands within NCT Delhi near the the
existing international airport
to expand for the next 20 years. I say that no new
national or international
airports are needed within NCR, and that if any States
adjacent to Delhi desire International Airports they
would be better off upgrading the Airports within
their State Capitals. I say that vast amounts of
public resources are required for Airports which
cannot be squandered by pandering to vested political
interests and property dealers.

8) I absolutely oppose the thrust of the draft to
relinquish property and
realty development to private entities. The experience
of Gurgaon in particular is a prime example of
unregulated and unplanned development where this
uneasthetic and "Las Vegas" jungle of concrete
skyscrapers has sprung up and which is an urban
planning disaster brought about by private developers.
This sort of "cowboy" development is to be halted at
all costs and the State should not leave the field to
these private and unregulated entities who have
cheated numerous persons. I say that the land laws of
India should ban the sale and purchase of agricultural
lands by private developers which are later changed by
change of land use. I say that the draft must squarely
address the problem of rampant misuse of "Change of
Land Use" by Development Authorities in the absence of
public notice or Zonal Development Plans.

9) I say that the draft ignores the vertical
proliferation taking place
within the urban areas. I say that laws concerning
Urban aesthetics and safety features for structures
beyond 15 meters in height must be strictly enforced
as must also the building and local laws and bye-laws.
These aspects need to be better incorporated into the
draft.

10) I say that NCT Delhi must be sanitised of
outsiders influxing in NCT Delhi and consuming Delhi's
precious resources. Regularisation of all illegal
colonies whether residential or industrial must be
stopped and denied. The draft must contain sufficient
safeguards to prevent unauthorised colonies coming up
or being regularised. All such unauthorised colonies
must be demolished, bull-dozed and the land utilised
for planned purposes.

11) I say there must be total transparency in land
related matters within
the NCR. Land under clause 18 Schedule 7 of the
Constitution or suchlike must be retained by the
States and UT of Delhi. Right to Information Laws
concerning Land Use and Colonisation etc must be
extended to agencies such as HUDA, DDA also.

12) I say that at the present time the various
Development Authorities
such as DDA, HUDA etc are extensively concentrating on
selling exorbitantly priced residential and commercial
lands and neglecting their other statutory duties. I
say that the draft must suitably address and correct
this problem.

13) I say that uniformity of laws, and law enforcement
within the NCR
region is a prime requisite to the Plan. I say that
Benches of the various High Courts of the neighbouring
States such as Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan etc.
need to be urgently constituted within NCR. I say that
the policing and crime related databases of all
authorities within the NCR must be integrated most
expeditiously. I say that uniformity of laws is not
only related to commercial and taxation, but is
essential to promote and motivate persons to
voluntarily move to areas now perceived as being
deficient in law and order.

14) I say that there most be no tolls leviable for
movement on roads,
highways and waterways within the NCR region. I say
that the "transport"
sections of the draft are most deficient and need to
be rectified, and
refers to all sorts of unproven transportation
technologies.

15) I commend the concept of bypass highways
surrounding Delhi, but
I say that the maps would show them to be too distant
from Delhi and
these bypass Highways (Eastern and Western) require to
be moved much
closer to the boundaries of Delhi.

16) I say that the resources necessary for life such
as water, air,
electric energy, information etc. must be carefully
planned and equitably
distributed within the NCR. The draft suffers from
being most deficient in this aspect and continually
assumes that new sources for water and energy etc will
magically appear. I say that the draft must plan on
the basis of available dwindling resources and not on
statistically projected hypothetical datas.

17) In conclusion I say that the draft is excessively
verbose and lengthy
and needs to be substantially trimmed to make it a
vibrant and readable
Plan document. There is excessive reliance on
statistics which expose the
hollowness and lack of substance in the draft. The
draft also seems to
be a "wish list" of various vested interests which
seem to have been hastily
assembled together to suit all interests, and hence
the draft document reads
badly and relies excessively upon colour and should be
re-drafted in monochrome as befits a law of the land.

Thanking you, and assuring my best co-operation
always,

yours sincerely,




( Er. SarbaJit Roy )

Address: B-59, Defence Colony,
New Delhi - 110024

Telephone : 2433-4262"

--- Gita Dewan Verma <mpisgplanner@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> draft Delhi Master Plan 2021 that has been on DDA
> website since early this week, accessible from
> Hot-Links at http://www.ddadelhi.com/home.htm#
>
> ----News reports of yesterday?s press-release:
>
> No prints of MPD-2021, DDA says go online
>
http://www1.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1056294.cms
>
> DDA seeks feedback over draft Master Plan
>
http://www.hindu.com/2005/03/19/stories/2005031908830400.htm
>
> ----letter sent to DDA Commissioner (Planning):
>
> Sub: DMP-2021 Public Notice: Request for
> clarification
>
> Ref: DDA press release, reported in newspapers today
>
> Dear Mr Jain,
>
> News reports today, with quotes from a DDA press
> release and a spokesperson, suggest that the
> DMP-2021
> "public notice" that has been up on DDA website for
> a
> few days is the one on which "views and suggestions"
> may be sent in 90-days, etc.
>
> I had the impression that what has been on DDA's
> website for a few days was the draft circulated to
> confidante experts and sections of the press before
> approval on 10.01.2005 ? since the index page, while
> it does say "public notice" does not mention details
> of gazette notification or even date, Land Use Plan
> and other maps are missing, several pages carry the
> header "for restricted circulation", etc, besides
> which other s.11A Public Notices for DMP-2001
> modification (such as for hospitals and for
> recreational clubs published today) continue to be
> issued and there are also pending Public Notices,
> court matters, etc.
>
> If the document is indeed out for the 90-day Public
> Notice, I will be very obliged if you would let me
> know where I can peruse / purchase the English and
> Hindi versions.
>
> Yours sincerely
>
> Gita Dewan Verma, Planner
>
>
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