Delhi’s Master Plan public hearings to take place till November 24

The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) extended the ongoing public hearing regarding the Master Plan of Delhi-2041 till November 24

The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) extended the ongoing public hearing regarding the Master Plan of Delhi-2041 till November 24. The Master Plan was put up for public scrutiny in June this year. It will take the land-owning agency two or three months after the public hearing concludes to finalise and notify the plan, said a senior DDA official, requesting anonymity.

The public hearings are scheduled for November 15, 17, 22 and 24. “There will be one session just for the municipal bodies, which are the main agencies for the implementation of the provisions of the Master Plan,” said the senior DDA official. (HT Archive)

The senior DDA official said, “We will hold four more public hearings in which elected representatives, municipal corporations, other government agencies and associations such as trader bodies will participate. People who have had the opportunity to present their views already can also participate.”

The public hearings are scheduled for November 15, 17, 22 and 24. “There will be one session just for the municipal bodies, which are the main agencies for the implementation of the provisions of the Master Plan,” said the senior DDA official.

During the first public hearing held on October 18, people raised demands for an increase in floor-to-area ratio (FAR), clarity on the status of unauthorised colonies, clarity in redevelopment norms, etc. “Some of the major demands are for an increase in FAR in both commercial and residential areas. We will examine them. But FAR is linked to factors such as the availability of water and other resources. Another demand is for clarity on the status of unauthorised colonies located on Master Plan roads. In such colonies, ownership rights can’t be given,” said the senior official.

There were demands both in favour of and against the mixed land-use (MLU), the official said. “Though we have increased the right-of-way (ROW) to 24m where mixed land-use can be allowed, there are many who want it to be done away with. But a large section of people wants MLU and has suggested that grocery stores be allowed in colonies, even on roads with less ROW. During the pandemic, such shops were of great help to people in residential colonies,” he said.

Initially, the land-owning agency planned to notify the Master Plan by the end of the year. But the process was delayed as the DDA had to extend the deadline for submission of public suggestions/objections by a month in July because various civic society members demanded more time due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

BS Vohra, president of East Delhi RWA joint front, said, “The DDA has reduced the entire public hearing to a joke. I have submitted objections on several issues. But my name was not there in any of their lists. They are just rushing into notifying the plan that is for the city’s future for the next 20 years.”

On Wednesday, the land-owning agency held a public hearing in which over 4,300 people were invited. “We received close to 33,000 suggestions/objections. We have given people time to present their views,” said another DDA official, requesting anonymity.

The official said that finalisation of the MPD-2041 will take at least two or three months, as the comments will be analysed and discussed with authority members, other committees, etc. “Necessary changes will be incorporated and the plan will again be tabled in the authority meeting before being sent to the ministry of housing and urban affairs for notification,” said the official.

Till the time MPD-2041 is not notified, the current master plan (MPD-2021), which was notified on February 7, 2007, will continue to be in force.

AK Jain, former planning commissioner at DDA, said, “Future developments will be impacted by the new master plan. But there will be no major change, as this plan doesn’t propose any radical changes. Important policies such as transit-oriented development, land pooling, etc, have already been notified.”