After row, DDA promises more public hearings to discuss Delhi master plan

DDA clarified that public hearings to discuss the draft master plan will continue in November as well, but refrained from specifying the total number of such sessions that will be held. The clarification came after residents and civic society members objected to the two-day public hearing schedule — on October 18 and 20

Protecting the Yamuna riverfront and green spaces in the city, reviewing the mixed land use provision, and better parking provisions — these are some of the main topics in the draft Master Plan of Delhi-2041 (MPD-2041) on which the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) has received the most number of public comments. In all, the land-owning agency has received over 33,000 comments, officials said.

Protecting the Yamuna riverfront and green spaces in the city figures prominently in list of public comments received by the DDA for the Master Plan of Delhi-2041. (ANI)

On Friday, the DDA clarified that public hearings to discuss the draft master plan will continue in November as well, but refrained from specifying the total number of such sessions that will be held.

The draft MPD-2041, which is the vision document for the city’s development for the next two decades, was put in the public domain in June this year.

On Friday, the DDA clarified that public hearings to discuss the draft master plan will continue in November as well, but refrained from specifying the total number of such sessions that will be held. The clarification came after residents and civic society members objected to the two-day public hearing schedule — on October 18 and 20 — announced by the DDA, in which 17,162 people are expected to participate.

The public hearing, which will be held online this time due to the Covid-19 pandemic, will deliberate on 16 broad issues such as environment, development control norms and heritage, among others, based on the MPD-2041 chapters.

In the environment section, DDA officials said suggestions are largely related to protecting the Yamuna riverfront and ensuring adequate green spaces in residential localities.

Many have expressed concern over city roads getting flooded during monsoon and suggested a proper GIS framework for drainage networks. The DDA official quoted above said, “The new master plan will be GIS based and all services, infrastructure developments, areas and their use will be mapped.”

Many also suggested setting up noise monitoring stations in the city.

Another pressing concern, especially for resident welfare associations, is the mixed land use (MLU) provision, which allows for commercial activities in residential areas. DDA officials said many have suggested that the provision should be reviewed and future development of mixed land use must be discouraged.

Rajiv Kakria, convener of “Save Our City” campaign and a resident of Greater Kailash-1, said, “It (MLU) has destroyed the residential character of neighbourhoods. Today, safety and security have become our main concern due to rampant commercialisation...”

As the draft master plan pushes for redevelopment or regeneration of old areas, the land-owning agency has received a lot of comments on revising/relaxing the existing development control norms.

Two new policies (transit oriented development and land pooling) for future development of the city, introduced by the DDA in 2007, are in the nascent stages of implementation. The land-owning agency has received suggestions seeking clarification on permissible floor area ratio under both policies.

Another key concern is about the successful implementation of the master plan itself. The East Delhi RWA Joint Front said people don’t know how much of the previous master plan (MPD-2021) has been implemented so far.

DDA officials said the MPD-2041 has a provision for annual review of its implementation.