Text of MPISG response to the EIA public notice issued
by DPCC for the Vasant Kunj Malls (TOI 18.05.06,
http://dpcc.delgovt.nic.in under EIA).
====
Member Secretary, Delhi Pollution Control Committee
Department of Environment, Govt. of NCT of Delhi
4th Floor, I.S.B.T. Building, Kashmere Gate, Delhi-6
Sub: Public notice for "Public Hearing for
Environmental Clearance to the construction of
projects at the 92 hectares of constraint area in
Vasant Kunj" on 19-20.06.06
Sir,
We wish to suggest *postponement* of finalisation of
above public notice process *till Delhi Govt has
replied, pursuant to court's notices (last of
24.05.06), in WP(C) 8523/2003* (Shiv Narayan v/s DDA &
Ors) concerning, inter alia, the site and *till due
disposal of duly filed responses to Public Notice
issued on 08.04.05* to invite objections / suggestions
on draft Master Plan 2021 (in which you are named in
the sub-group on Environment and the Land Use Plan
indicates the projects). *We will comment on EIA
documents submitted by project proponents after
conclusion of the aforesaid pending matters* with
which about 2000 families in Mehrauli-Mahipalpur area
are directly associated, also because to us the
circumstances of issuing this public notice appear
*exceptionable* and the public notice appears
*defective* in terms of prescribed procedure for EIA
public hearings and of reference in it to "constraint
area" (a term devoid of meaning, not being statutory
land use category or use premise definition). Our
perspective of said circumstances and defects are
outlined in Enclosure (2p). Our main concerns are as
follows:
1. The Public Notice is for 7 projects on 19 Ha in
so-called "constraint area" of 92 Ha, which is
actually undifferentiated part of a 315 Ha site duly
earmarked for low density residential scheme with some
commercial and public/semi-public use. Under the garb
of environmental activism the entire 315 Ha is being
diverted to other (profitable) uses. Especially
exceptionable is diversion of 35 Ha residential land
for so-called "Aravali Biodiversity Park" (on 223 Ha
to provide justification for commercial and
institutional constructions in the remaining 92 Ha)
for which old communities were evicted from Lal Khet
in July 2004 with partial resettlement in sub-standard
development in Bawana. No EIA of either the so-called
"Aravalli Biodiversity Park" (wherein mountain ferns
and orchids are to be developed as per last press
publicity reports) or the sub-human development in
Bawana (where several, including children, have died
since 2004) has been carried out.
2. Decisions for the 315 Ha site continue to be based
on orders in environmentalists/NGO PIL of 1996-97 that
relied primarily on their hypothetical delineation of
ridge forest and are unmindful of even subsequent
statutory and judicial imperatives. DPCC's belated EIA
public notice and the importance continuing to be
given to the grounds of environmentalists/NGO PIL etc,
that have repeatedly been settled in favour of
development in contravention of the Master Plan smacks
of vested interests in the projects / agencies on the
315 Ha site and/or in diverting attention from more
deleterious unlawful projects underway in the area,
including in duly delineated ridge at Mehrauli (viz,
Delhi Govt mandi) and Sultangarhi (viz, mega-housing
by AlCon, etc) and in Green Belt near Ghitorni bowl
(viz, Delhi Govt super-speciality hospital) and amidst
developed residential area (eg, Suncity Mall at
Masudpur and proposed commercial complex at
Mahipalpur), etc. No EIA has been done for these other
projects, all of which are impugned in the WP(C)
8523/2003 in which Delhi and Central Govt have not
cared to file replies.
We wish to clarify we are no NGO or general-purpose
association. We are ordinary citizens synergistically
pursuing statutory solutions and entitlements by
statutory processes. This response arises from a
meeting of our platform's volunteer conveners who have
also decided to attend the hearings on 19-20.06.06 as
observers. We also clarify that it is usual for
individuals engaging on our platform to separately
raise specific issues in context of joint responses
such as this.
-- MPISG Planner
__________________________________________________
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by DPCC for the Vasant Kunj Malls (TOI 18.05.06,
http://dpcc.delgovt.nic.in under EIA).
====
Member Secretary, Delhi Pollution Control Committee
Department of Environment, Govt. of NCT of Delhi
4th Floor, I.S.B.T. Building, Kashmere Gate, Delhi-6
Sub: Public notice for "Public Hearing for
Environmental Clearance to the construction of
projects at the 92 hectares of constraint area in
Vasant Kunj" on 19-20.06.06
Sir,
We wish to suggest *postponement* of finalisation of
above public notice process *till Delhi Govt has
replied, pursuant to court's notices (last of
24.05.06), in WP(C) 8523/2003* (Shiv Narayan v/s DDA &
Ors) concerning, inter alia, the site and *till due
disposal of duly filed responses to Public Notice
issued on 08.04.05* to invite objections / suggestions
on draft Master Plan 2021 (in which you are named in
the sub-group on Environment and the Land Use Plan
indicates the projects). *We will comment on EIA
documents submitted by project proponents after
conclusion of the aforesaid pending matters* with
which about 2000 families in Mehrauli-Mahipalpur area
are directly associated, also because to us the
circumstances of issuing this public notice appear
*exceptionable* and the public notice appears
*defective* in terms of prescribed procedure for EIA
public hearings and of reference in it to "constraint
area" (a term devoid of meaning, not being statutory
land use category or use premise definition). Our
perspective of said circumstances and defects are
outlined in Enclosure (2p). Our main concerns are as
follows:
1. The Public Notice is for 7 projects on 19 Ha in
so-called "constraint area" of 92 Ha, which is
actually undifferentiated part of a 315 Ha site duly
earmarked for low density residential scheme with some
commercial and public/semi-public use. Under the garb
of environmental activism the entire 315 Ha is being
diverted to other (profitable) uses. Especially
exceptionable is diversion of 35 Ha residential land
for so-called "Aravali Biodiversity Park" (on 223 Ha
to provide justification for commercial and
institutional constructions in the remaining 92 Ha)
for which old communities were evicted from Lal Khet
in July 2004 with partial resettlement in sub-standard
development in Bawana. No EIA of either the so-called
"Aravalli Biodiversity Park" (wherein mountain ferns
and orchids are to be developed as per last press
publicity reports) or the sub-human development in
Bawana (where several, including children, have died
since 2004) has been carried out.
2. Decisions for the 315 Ha site continue to be based
on orders in environmentalists/NGO PIL of 1996-97 that
relied primarily on their hypothetical delineation of
ridge forest and are unmindful of even subsequent
statutory and judicial imperatives. DPCC's belated EIA
public notice and the importance continuing to be
given to the grounds of environmentalists/NGO PIL etc,
that have repeatedly been settled in favour of
development in contravention of the Master Plan smacks
of vested interests in the projects / agencies on the
315 Ha site and/or in diverting attention from more
deleterious unlawful projects underway in the area,
including in duly delineated ridge at Mehrauli (viz,
Delhi Govt mandi) and Sultangarhi (viz, mega-housing
by AlCon, etc) and in Green Belt near Ghitorni bowl
(viz, Delhi Govt super-speciality hospital) and amidst
developed residential area (eg, Suncity Mall at
Masudpur and proposed commercial complex at
Mahipalpur), etc. No EIA has been done for these other
projects, all of which are impugned in the WP(C)
8523/2003 in which Delhi and Central Govt have not
cared to file replies.
We wish to clarify we are no NGO or general-purpose
association. We are ordinary citizens synergistically
pursuing statutory solutions and entitlements by
statutory processes. This response arises from a
meeting of our platform's volunteer conveners who have
also decided to attend the hearings on 19-20.06.06 as
observers. We also clarify that it is usual for
individuals engaging on our platform to separately
raise specific issues in context of joint responses
such as this.
-- MPISG Planner
__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
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