Green belt to be done away

By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI, FEB. 1. Delhi's Lieutenant-Governor, Mr. Vijai Kapoor, has called for doing away with the agricultural green belt around the Capital and developing it, into an urban settlement of modern standards.

``It is at this 700 sq. km of land that is available to us that logical sequence of development is possible,'' he said at a seminar on ``Delhi's Past and Future'' organised by the PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry'' here yesterday.

Terming this as his vision for Delhi, Mr. Kapoor said: ``Let us develop good township in its periphery.'' If this vast green belt continues to remain outside the ambit of town planning, it will amount to giving an open invitation to unauthoriesd colonisation. Land use for this development would be such that it provides alternate vocation to farmers, he added.

He also called for abandoning the old concept of land acquisition and its development and disposal by the Delhi Development Authority. ``We should opt for land pooling approach and a system should be adopted so that land owners are involved in the development of their lands,'' he said.

Mr. Kapoor called for greater emphasis on redevelopment of old colonies. Referring to the relationship between employment and environmental upgradation, he said avenues for income generation should be kept in mind while concentrating on the future vision of the city.

Speaking on the occasion, the two former Delhi Chief Ministers, Mr. Madan Lal Khurana and Mr. Sahib Singh Verma, argued that Delhi should be granted full Statehood and all the authorities brought under its direct control. ``Multiplicity of authority is the root cause of all the problem in the Capital,'' they said, adding that both Delhi police and DDA should be brought under the direct control of the Delhi Government.

Agreeing with the views of the senior BJP leaders and fellow parliamentarians from the Capital, the Chandani Chowk MP, Mr. Vijai Goel, stressed that ``Statehood for the Capital is a must''.

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