Date:10/10/2005 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2005/10/10/stories/2005101008510400.htm

New Delhi

Call to set up authority to monitor Master Plan

Staff Reporter

"MPD must also address the challenges posed by unauthorised colonies and jhuggi-jhonpri clusters'' "The cooperative or voluntary system cannot work without any force of law''

NEW DELHI: PHDCCI has called for setting up an implementation authority to carry out the objectives of Master Plan Delhi (MPD)-2021.

In a representation to the Delhi Development Authority, PHDCCI said no provision has been made to make a specific authority responsible for implementing various provisions of the MPD in a time bound manner.

"The cooperative or voluntary system cannot work as such cooperatives will not have any force of law. If an industry refuses to become member of the cooperative society or refuses to obey the instructions of the society, the society cannot enforce anything and in that situation the entire MPD could be in a limbo. It is therefore of utmost importance that an implementation authority is set up to monitor the MPD," said PHDCCI president K. N. Memani.

Past experience has shown that in the absence of such authority having the force of law, the areas that had been identified in earlier Master Plans for regularisation or redevelopment could not be done as the implementation was left to the public, Mr. Memani said.

PHDCCI has further said that the empowering legal framework to support the implementing authority should be clearly defined so that it can effectively implement the provisions of MPD-2021.

As the Master Plan is a subordinate legislation, prepared under the Delhi Development Authority and is primarily a land use plan, the implementation authority should be empowered to acquire land to fill up any deficiencies to meet the requirements for redevelopment.

International city

Financial expenses on such acquisition of land must be borne compulsorily by all industries of that area and provision should be made to recover the same as `arrears of land revenue'.

As the draft MPD-2021 envisions to make Delhi a global metropolis and a superior international city, it must break free from the shackles of the previous plans and provide enough scope for balanced and planned development through public private partnership, PHDCCI said.

Future projections about population of Delhi must be well considered, as this would have inevitable implications on shelter and on physical and social infrastructure facilities as well.

Challenges

The MPD must also address the challenges posed by unauthorised colonies and jhuggi-jhonpri clusters. This would call for strong political will and planned measures to deal with the phenomenon not only in their present manifestations but also in terms of their future growth and proliferations.

As the MPD is the physical definition of the city, timely updation and implementation of the sub-regional plans and zonal development plans is of paramount importance. Direction on timely casting, updating and implementation of zonal development plans should be given specific scheduling during the currency of MPD-2021, PHDCCI stated.