Urban planners collectively slam Navi Mumbai draft DP
NAVI MUMBAI: In a searing critique of the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation’s maiden attempt to draft Development Plan 2038, a group of 35 urban professionals and planners, who have formed a Navi Mumbai Collective, have dubbed the DP as “unsound” and “myopic”
NAVI MUMBAI: In a searing critique of the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation’s maiden attempt to draft Development Plan 2038, a group of 35 urban professionals and planners, who have formed a Navi Mumbai Collective, have dubbed the DP as “unsound” and “myopic”. The group submitted a 21-page note of suggestions and objections on the draft DP plan during a hearing conducted by NMMC on Tuesday at the civic headquarters in Belapur.
“The draft development plan has serious limitations, primarily because of the incomplete database and methodology used,” said Belapur resident and urban planner Prachi Merchant. “It has even failed to build on the well-thought-out development plan by CIDCO, which should have been the organic way of development. Instead, it has opted for a clean slate approach, which overlooks the existing sectoral planning. Be it parking, environment, rehabilitation of slum pockets or land allocation for open spaces, there are severe shortcomings which will make implementation of the DP next to impossible.”
At the hearing, the group told the committee about the plan’s failure to employ the basic Coastal Regulation Zone guidelines while marking CRZ areas, and questioned the rationale of publishing proposed land use (PLUs) when the process of existing land use (ELUs) had still to be completed. “When the zonal and sectoral plans are still being mapped, coming out with PLUs defeats the DP’s very purpose,” said a senior urban planner.
The civic administration was also questioned for not having meaningful participation of residents. “Only three meetings were held with government officials when there should have been node- and sector-based workshops, explaining the plan to the public,” said social activist Nilesh Patil.
The group also pointed out NMMC’s failure to have a roadmap for affordable housing for a population projected to touch 28 lakhs by 2038. “There must be land reservation for rental housing along with a rental housing policy for migrant workers,” said Marina Joseph, associate director of the NGO Yuva. “But the DP is silent on housing stock and residential land use. Even though the count of slums is not up to date, the DP is relying on the 2011 census.”
The group also raised questions on NMMC’s failure to foresee the exponential vehicle growth. “Transportation has been studied through NMMC’s own assets instead of looking into the future scope of development,” said an urban planner. “The proposed DP reflects the lack of application of mind, therefore, there are wide gaps which need to be addressed before it is sanctioned.”
The hearing process of NMMC concluded on March 29. The planning committee will now submit its decision to the corporation. “The purpose of the hearing was to get such suggestions,” said Somnath Kekan, assistant director of town-planning, NMMC. “Now the committee of experts, who have over three decades of experience, will certainly incorporate the suggestions.”
