[mpisgmedia] RTI request re MoUD affidavit in Yamuna matter in Supreme Court

Shri M Rajamani,
Jt Secy (UD) / PIO (MoUD)

Dear Sir,

I request publication under s.4(1)(c) and providing to
me under s.4(1)(d) of Right to Information Act, 2005,
details of the schemes for Yamuna revival on Thames
pattern, relocating slums to flats in Tehkhand
pilot-project, etc, that Secretary MoUD, Mr Anil
Baijal, filed in Supreme Court in September 2005.

I request you to right away either refuse or
publish/provide (or agree to publish/provide) the
information requested.

I can seek this information under s.6 of RTI Act, but
I believe the purposes of the Act are better served by
its s.4 in general and in this case in particular.

The affidavit in question was filed after Public
Notice for MPD-2021 was issued (08 April 2005) and
before hearings of responses started (03 October
2005). The riverfront scheme and Tehkhand
pilot-project undertaken in it are not part of draft
MPD-2021. For the pilot-project additional Public
Notice inviting objections/suggestions on proposal for
land use change (from Tughlakabad District Park) was
issued on 31.08.05, and made irrelevant within the
week by the affidavit. For the Yamuna, the chapter on
environment in draft MDP-2021 has an annexure
containing recommendations made in 2004 by the
committee appointed under Secretary MoUD, Mr Baijal,
by the Supreme Court, but these do not convey the
riverfront scheme suggested by reports of his
subsequent affidavit.

Since the filing of the affidavit of September 2005,
East Delhi MP Mr Sandip Dikshit has made a
presentation to Delhi Cabinet of a 30000 cr riverfront
scheme and Delhi Chief Secretary has asked authorities
to prepare an action plan. The policy of flatted slum
housing has been called for by Delhi Chief Minister Ms
Sheila Dikshit, Delhi Urban Development Minister Mr AK
Walia and New Delhi MP Mr Ajay Maken and the writ
petition fielded in Delhi High Court for the Tehkhand
pilot-project has also been disposed off and for
compliance of order of 03.03.03 for removal of
unauthorised structures from the riverbed, a committee
has been appointed by a Division Bench of the High
Court. It has also been reported that now Mr Anil
Baijal (in personal capacity) and Ms Sunita Narain
(director of the NGO Centre for Science and
Environment, who chaired the expert sub-group on
environment for MPD-2021) will be on a committee for
the Supreme Court matter.

Evidently, schemes proffered in affidavit filed in
September 2005 are being pursued, making draft
MPD-2021 proposals and objections/suggestions filed in
response to Public Notice of 08.04.05 in respect of
these matters irrelevant. As relevant fact relating to
de-facto decision of MoUD to allow this redundancy,
the schemes being pursued warrant publication under
s.4(1)(c) of RTI Act, 2005.

I request this information under s.4(1)(d) of RTI Act,
as affected-person in view of my pending writ petition
against violations of s.11A in so-called metro
property development, inter alia on the riverbed, in
which MoUD is respondent and in view of my objections
pending disposal of Public Notice for Tehkhand
pilot-project, which would have been issued with
approval of MoUD.

Thanking you,

Yours sincerely
Gita Dewan Verma, Planner






__________________________________
Yahoo! for Good - Make a difference this year.
http://brand.yahoo.com/cybergivingweek2005/

Partial thread listing: