DDA gets close to 12k comments from public for draft MPD-2041

According to a senior DDA official, “Around 61,613 people have visited the portal and around 11,700 people have already submitted their suggestions/objections. We are in the process of compiling all the comments, as people can submit them till today evening”

The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) has till Monday received close to 12,000 comments from the public to its draft Master Plan of Delhi-2041 (MPD-2041), which was put in the public domain in June this year.

Representational Image. (HT archive)

The last date for submission of comments on MPD-2041 is August 23 and DDA plans to notify the plan by the end of the year.

According to a senior DDA official, “Around 61,613 people have visited the portal and around 11,700 people have already submitted their suggestions/objections. We are in the process of compiling all the comments, as people can submit them till today evening.”

A senior DDA official said, “We will hold public hearings most likely in October. It will be held online, but we are yet to work out the details.”

The land-owning agency is in the process of compiling the comments under various categories based on the MPD chapters. DDA officials said that public hearings will be held issue-wise.

The draft MPD-2041, which is the vision document for the city’s growth in the next two decades, proposes to make Delhi a 24x7 city with nighttime economy, affordable housing, mixed development, Transit-Oriented Development, redevelopment etc.

One of the key focus areas of the new master plan is to address the present-day challenge of environmental pollution. Environmentalists say that the new MPD has not specified how air pollution will be addressed.

Environmental activist Diwan Singh, “They are talking about large-scale vertical development, especially in urban extensions which are currently green spaces. The real causes of air pollution have not been analysed properly by planners. There is no clear strategy given in the MPD to tackle air pollution. New developments, even if it is transit-oriented development, will only result in more traffic.”

Singh said that the master plan should clearly state that new projects can only be taken if adequate water can be provided. “DDA should learn from its past experience and avoid a Dwarka-like situation in the future. The arrangement for water supply should be ensured before new development is allowed.”

The draft master plan proposes to delineate Zone O based on one in 25 years flood line. Environmentalist Manoj Misra, convenor, Yamuna Jiye Abhiyan and petitioner in the Yamuna floodplain restoration case in NGT, said, “Lands in River (Zone O) and the ridge must be declared eco-sensitive zones to meet the imminent climate challenge. River Yamuna must be rejuvenated as suggested by the National Green Tribunal in its judgment dated January 13, 2015, and the 20-point action plan prepared by the NGT mandated Yamuna Monitoring Committee.”

It is for the first time the master plan talks about providing affordable housing, including rental housing options. While experts have welcomed the DDA’s decision to provide rental housing, they say the plan needs to move beyond the Affordable Rental Housing Complexes scheme to think holistically about rentals in the city.

Mukta Naik, a fellow at the Centre for Policy Research, said, “The current provisions in the draft MPD-2041 might not be adequate to accommodate “vulnerable target groups” like migrant populations, the specially-abled, senior citizens, single women. We have suggested that DDA should set clear numerical targets and specify land reservations for affordable public rental housing based on the population of vulnerable groups in the city.”

Resident welfare associations in the city have raised concerns over rampant commercialisation in residential areas, increase in load on existing civic infrastructure, the safety of residents etc due to mixed land.

Rajiv Kakria, convenor of Save Our City Campaign, said,“The draft MPD-2041 seems to be a document of hope rather than redemption. It fails to address the problems the city is grappling with. Mixed land use has ruined the residential character of neighbourhoods. The draft plan has no provision to incentivise commercial establishments operating from residential areas to move to commercial areas. There should be stringent norms and penalties to discourage commercial and even professional activity in residential areas.”

Another issue raised by RWAs is the parking mess in residential colonies. BS Vohra, president of East Delhi Joint RWA Front said that the parking policy, especially for residential areas, needs to be clearly specified. “Parking is a serious concern in most residential colonies. The parking policy, which was introduced a few years back, has failed to address the parking problem in residential areas. Like MPD-2021, this draft plan also doesn’t offer any solution to the parking problem.”

The draft MPD-2041 pushes for regeneration, transit-oriented development, planned commercial spaces etc. But the trading community says that the draft plan is not in sync with the ground realities.

Traders say that neighbourhood markets should be provided higher Floor Area Ratio (FAR) so that it can cater to a larger population which can just walk or cycle to the market. Vishal Ohri, general secretary, LSCs Federation of Delhi and GK-2 Market Association said, “This has been ignored in the draft plan. The population of the residential neighbourhood has increased four times since 1962. To meet the growing demand, the FAR of residential units has been doubled over the years. But the FAR of local shopping complexes (SCs) has been increased from 250 to 350. We have suggested that the FAR of SCs should also be doubled.”

He added, “If more local commercial space is created at walking distance from residential areas, then people will prefer to walk or cycle to the market for daily needs which in return means less traffic on the roads, less pollution, less parking needs etc.