Gurugram The draft Comprehensive Mobility Plan (CMP) released by the Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) on September 13 for public feedback is yet to receive a single comment, suggestion or objection from residents.
It is the first time that a CMP has been compiled for Gurugram by a public body, with the objective of improving public transport, road network and pedestrian facilities in the city by studying and identifying problem areas in each of these arenas, and executing changes based on the findings, keeping in purview the projected population and expansion plans until 2041.
“We would welcome suggestions on the CMP and want citizens to participate so that their inputs can be incorporated, before formalising the plans,” V Umashankar, chief executive officer (CEO), GMDA, said.
Umashankar declined to comment further on the issue.
A senior GMDA official said that they will be soon holding consultation sessions with residents, with the help of a non-governmental organisation (NGO) they selected for this purpose last year.
“Last October, we had finalised a Bengaluru-based NGO for holding public sessions and sensitising them on various projects and development plans the GMDA wants to undertake and requires their consultation for the same. The feedback from residents will be incorporated into formulating public policies. We will be soon utilising this channel for the CMP as well,” the official said.
{{/usCountry}}“Last October, we had finalised a Bengaluru-based NGO for holding public sessions and sensitising them on various projects and development plans the GMDA wants to undertake and requires their consultation for the same. The feedback from residents will be incorporated into formulating public policies. We will be soon utilising this channel for the CMP as well,” the official said.
{{/usCountry}}The draft CMP is valid for public perusal for 21 days, until October 4. To provide feedback, a resident has to visit the GMDA’s official website and list his or her objection, comment or suggestion under the consultation section where the CMP can be viewed.
The 352-page CMP was compiled by the School of Planning and Architecture (SPA) in New Delhi, at the behest of the GMDA.
Staff members of the SPA said that the CMP could prove to be a complex read for many residents, who may not be familiar with certain terminologies used in the report, which could be a reason why there has been no response so far.
“The CMP is extremely technical and vast. It is not an easy read for the public and so, most residents may not necessarily be able to comprehend the policies and plans proposed in the report. Hence, we are discussing with GMDA to upload a concise document on the CMP, on their website, which will highlight only the important policies and plans, and summarise them in an easy language. We expect that this will lead to better public feedback,” said Sewa Ram, an urban transport systems design expert and a faculty member at the SPA, who had compiled the CMP.
Ram said that the document will be uploaded next to the link of the CMP, and will only contain important information from the report. “We will ask GMDA to upload the concise report next to the CMP for public perusal. No extra information will be added to this report, and only those mentioned in the CMP will be included,” said Ram.