Rapid population growth in the Capital region calls for a relook at the Master Plan Delhi 2021,
Us nion minister for urban develn opment Kamal Nath recently d pointed out the need for a revir sion of Master Plan Delhi 2021, (MPD 21) hich was passed in vi 2006, saying it had not taken S account the ground realities it and argued that Delhi was th growing at a phenomenal pace ti and the existing plan had failed L to meet the needs of the city. n “The current plan has not m been able to cope with the city's growth, leading to an s increase in unathorised u colonies, slums and jhuggim jhopris. The Master Plan does s not take into account ground th realities and population h growth. There is need to bring p in modifications in land use p and development norms... it commercialisation along o major transport networks, like the Metro, should be a taken up,“ he said. w The minister also added th that the government was tryh ing to draw future plans keepe ing in mind the projected popth ulation growth. “The populad tion has increased and our si planning could not match that r pace. Now, we are trying to s plan taking into account what st the population size would be in 2015 or 2030. The Master Plan should not be created looking at the past 30 years, but should be created looking at the coming 30 years.“
Real estate experts point out that the minister's statement should be welcome since he is talking about bringing contemporary and relevant changes to the many minor notifications on the MPD 2021.
“I do not think that Nath's suggestion is to make wholesale changes to the MPD document, nor should it be read as scrapping the one already notified,“ says Ramesh Menon, director, Certes Realty Ltd, a real estate consultancy.
The MPD-21 was notified vide a government of India (No SO 141 dated Feb 7, 2007) and it cannot be scrapped unless the Parliament/other authorities approve the same.
Likewise, the zonal plans were notified in 2010 vide government orders.
The MPD and zonal plans should be read as guiding documents for the many various minor notifications, which are subject to “tweaking“ as per the local level requirements, hence, the need for a local area plan which is inclusive and participatory in nature, while it takes into account the tenets of the MPD, he says.
“The areas where the public at large should be debating with the UD ministry include the timelines that the minister has projected. Why should an empowered expert team need three years to look into the details? Also, let the discussion not just revolve on the residential segment, we need schools, industry, social infrastructure, hospitals, parks etc. The urban design as suggested by the MPD need not be restrictive in nature, and should be more global in perspective,“ Menon says.
According to Santhosh Kumar, CEO operations, Jones Lang LaSalle India, the review will have to take steps that will decongest the areas struggling to accommodate the ever-increasing population. It is also important to ensure that growth does not come about at the cost of overall character and skyline of the city. Second, measures should be taken to ensure that the infrastructure development is in tune with the planning so that the pressure on the civic amenities like water and electricity does not increase further.
But what is Master Plan 2021? Does it touch the life of the common man in any way?
What is in it for him? The MPD 2021 envisages creation of five new sub-cities, to unlock 60,000 hectares for development and redevelopment for throwing up a large supply of housing within the city. It looks at creating these new sub-cities within Delhi, bigger than Dwarka and Rohini.
The Gurgaon-Noida story was based on the premise of lack of availability of land in Delhi. It was the absolute dearth of land in Delhi that forced people to look for options in the periphery. The new Master Plan is likely to change all that. What one knows as NCR (National Capital Region) could soon be redefined as the NCT (National Capital Territory).
