Improvements panel chief acknowledges discrepancies

Taking note of a series of reports carried by Hindustan Times over the discrepancies in the BMC’s existing land use (ELU) survey, chairman of the civic improvements committee Ram Barot has asked the department to submit a report on the inconsistencies,Kunal Purohit reports.

Taking note of a series of reports carried by Hindustan Times over the discrepancies in the BMC’s existing land use (ELU) survey, chairman of the civic improvements committee Ram Barot has asked the department to submit a report on the inconsistencies.

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Expressing concern at the micro-level discrepancies as well as macro-level issues such as leaving slums out, Barot has now demanded that the survey findings be opened up for public scrutiny. Barot's comments are significant as the committee he heads will be instrumental in approving all the DP-related happenings.

“There are some glaring discrepancies in the civic body’s ELU and the development plan (DP) department needs to submit a report and list out the reason for each of the 1,200 discrepancies,” Barot said.

“I will write to civic chief Sitaram Kunte asking him to ensure that locals can participate in the process of scrutinising the land use survey. It is not humanly possible for a group of engineers or consultants to vet the findings of such a pan-city survey,” said Barot, who is also a BJP corporator.

Barot said that slums should have been mapped by the ELU survey. “You cannot leave out 60% of the city’s population out of a plan that will last for 20 years,” he said.

Stating that the UDRI’s findings on shrinking open spaces were shocking, Barot said there seemed to be “serious lapses in the way these features have been counted”.