Protest against mall being built by DDA
Staff Reporter
A rare display of solidarity
http://www.hindu.com/2006/01/23/stories/2006012313270400.htm
| from what I hear, display-of-solidarity was not rare
| but usual RWA & NGO herded lot plus children
| news report is bit unusual: it has the site right and
| does not mention-or-mistake acreage or names
| It does mis-inform, thoroughly.
NEW DELHI: Fighting for their right to water, residents of Vasant Vihar
and Vasant Kunj took to the streets on Sunday to protest against the
upcoming mall being built by Delhi Development Authority (DDA) on Nelson
Mandela Marg ...
| VK malls are not being built by DDA
| DDA auctioned plots. 4 realtor firms are building
It is a violation of human rights. The access to basic necessities like
drinking water is our right... If we dont have water, what good will this
glitzy shopping mall do for us? ...rued a Vasant Kunj resident.
| Buyers paid >1100 cr for <19 Ha in Dec 2003
| with promise of DJB Sonia-Vihar by Sep 2004.
| Real estate went bullish, bhagidars went starry-eyed.
| Amidst noisy self-assured bhagidaari bonhomie
| Bidders did not notice soniaV empress had no clothes
| (two who checked with non-bhagidaars did not bid)
| DJB water promise broke, yet builders did not bore
| Whose water/human rights stand violated by who?
Shouting slogans to save the Ridge... Building this shopping mall will
ensure that we will not get any water as this is a major catchment area
| VK Malls are not on ridge but on busy main road.
| Ridge spur is to their west, with catchment behind.
| (Lalkhet was evicted from there, for BiodiversityPark)
| Ridge violating projects are 2 km SW & 2 km E
| (and an illegal upcoming mall is 1 km SE)
... has been clearly demarcated as Ridge by the Geological Survey of India
| GSI does not demarcate. It has identified whole area
| (VV, VK, JNU, etc) as geomorphologically similar.
| Ridge demarcation to expand MPD-2001 demarcation
| had to be done by Delhi Govt by mid-90 orders of SC.
... has not been included in the Master Plan despite an order by the
Supreme Court in 1996-97 clearly stating that it should be
| SC orders of 96 & 97 for the site state nothing of the sort.
| SC orders in general refer to Ridge in sense of Forest,
| as environmentalist PIL never mentioned the water aspect.
| MPD-2021 refers to SC orders & keeps MPD demarcation
| pending re-demarcation by Delhi Govt & its bhagidaars
| (MPD-2021 making & Public Notice both allowed ops;
| even recent LAP consultation in Vasant Vihar did)
| VK Malls auction was illegal in terms of F-Zone Plan
| But for repeatedly losing environmentalist PIL in SC
| that released the Malls site from MPD in first instance.
| mpisg PIL in High Court may well have resolved things
| (even impleaded MoCA for alt site near Safdarjang!)
| The Builders, exc maybe Plot-1, are unassailable.
| Protest now helps land-grab via biodiversity park,
| diverting attention from assailable ridge violations
| (mostly Delhi Govt) and scapegoating DDA.
| MPD-2021 Public Notice process is not done.
| EIA Public Notice secured by bhagidaars is also out.
| In pendency of those they have already moved SC.
| Now they are also doing street-theatre.
| Fit case for Bhagidaari Best-Practice nomination!