Walkout by non-official members marks meeting on Master Plan

New Delhi, Jan 4 (UNI) A Delhi Development Authority meeting to finalise the 2021 Master Plan witnessed a walkout by some members of the DDA board over issues like inconditional regularisation of all unauthorised colonies and deferring of sealing of all schools by three years.

At The meeting of the DDA Board, which is to finalise the 2021 Master Plan peoposals, non-official members of the Board including MLA Mahabal Mishra and Congress councillor Virendra Kasana, staged a walkout over a proposal in the Master Plan 2021 that requires every house and every un-authorised colony to be demolished and re-constructed as per the re-development scheme.

The members have also been demanding that while hazardous and polluting business should not be allowed in residential areas, others which are non-polluting and non-hazardous such as hardware shops, shoe stores, jewellery shops and "halwai" (sweets merchants) shops should be permitted therein as otherwise people would have to travel long distances for their basic needs.

Another suggestion that the members want incorporated is permission for commercial activities on the ground floor in all village and "Lal Dora" areas. The members have also demanded that all residents of villages be allowed to keep their animal livestock and godowns for daily use and joint parking be provided by the Government agencies outside all colonies and villages to solve the parking problem.

On the schools, the members have demanded that of the 4,000 schools, 2,000 are recognised by the Delhi Government and the MCD.

The remaining should not be sealed and should be allowed to get recognition.

The members have stated that they will not allow passage of the Master Plan till the time all their suggestions, made during the DDA Board meeting on December 29, are incorporated.

Later, speaking at a press conference at the Delhi BJP headquarters, Mr. Mange Ram Garg, one of the members of the DDA Board, said Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, Union Urban Development Minister Jaipal Reddy and Minister of State for Urban Development Ajay Maken had clearly srated that the Master Plan 2021 will come as a permanent solution to the problems of sealing and demolition besides other problems of the people of Delhi.

''Now the draft which has come up before us is destructive for the people of Delhi,''he said.

Speaking at the press meet, Delhi BJP chief Harshvardhan said negative provisions have been made in the Master Plan 2021 for regularisation of 1432 unauthorised colonies in Delhi.

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