'Master Plan 2021 a political stunt, not for residents'

New Delhi, Jan 20: Residents Welfare Associations, city planners and civil society groups in the capital have expressed strong reservations over the draft Master Plan 2021 approved by the Delhi Development Authority, terming it as a 'political stunt'.

Ms Alpana Kishore, town planner and Convenor of New Delhi People's Alliance, said, ''The draft master plan for Delhi is poorly planned and a sure disaster recipe for the residents of the capital. It is a plan without vision for the city as it is shortsighted electoral necessity that would endanger its very existence.'' ''This is not a master plan for a city. It is solely a response to political considerations and does not apply itself to the considerations required by planning parameters,'' said Sanjay Kaul, President of Peoples' Action.

''The proposed master plan does not address all sections of society and limiting its scope to cater to a narrow segment makes it a skewed document unable to address the real needs and concerns of the city that go beyond the narrow political scope.'' he added.

''This shortsighted document does not address the real carrying capacity of the city and its population nor does it take into account the massive load the new regulations and otifications would impose on the city,'' said eminent City Planner Kuldip Singh.

''This plan has raised giant question marks over the methodology used for it and the logic used for the regulations and classifications contained in it.''

''Where is the tangible vision for the city?'' questioned MIT-educated Planner Arun Rewal who worked for the City of Dallas in the planning department and on several planning issues in Boston and Delhi. ''This is a fixer plan... It fixes things for some people. But legalising alone can't work without considering how the city will grow after that and what the realities of the situation will be on the road ahead? Nothing has changed.., the regulations are as randomly imposed as before without any coordinated logic or holistic vision. This can only postpone problems, not solve them.'' ''The changes in the master plan focus on demand accommodation not supply management,'' said Tul Goyal, Convenor, United Residents joint Action, an apex body of RWAs.

''At some point, the city's ability to generate services and carrying capacity will break down. The master plan document as articulated does not balance this demand accommodation with supply planning to channel the city's growth in a sustainable, viable manner,'' it was added.

Civil society groups including the RWAs and planners reserved their right to question the basis of the plan through the RTI Act to find out exactly how many objections filed with the DDA had been incorporated in the new master plan, what the recommendations of the committees and working groups set up by the DDA had been and how many of these recommendations were accommodated in the new plan.

''RWAs plan to take this master plan on roads as it goes totally against the interest of residents and their peaceful fundamental rights,'' Varinder Arora of People's Action said.

UNI