The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) has received over 800 suggestions and objections from the public, over a period of 15 days, on the proposed amendments to the Master Plan for Delhi (MPD) 2021, since May 26, officials said. The feedback was placed before a board constituted by the urban body, on June 12, 2018, they said. The DDA had invited feedback from people, following a directive from the Supreme Court.
“With reference to public notices published in the newspapers on May 26, for inviting objections/ suggestions from the public regarding the matter, (the same) were placed before the Board of Enquiry and Hearing,” a senior DDA official said. In total, more than 800 objections and suggestions were received and 114 persons were called for the category of ‘godown clusters’ and 400 for ‘shop-cum-residence plots’, for their oral evidence before the Board, the DDA said. “Forty-four persons, for godown clusters category and 87 persons for shop-cum-residence plots category, attended the hearing and presented their oral objections/ suggestions before the Board. All the objections/ suggestions were recorded by the Board, which assured the general public that their grievances will be taken care of before taking a decision,” it said in a statement.
In February 2018, the urban body had processed the modifications, seeking to bring relief to the traders from a sealing drive, which was initiated in December 2017 from the Defence Colony market in south Delhi, at the instance of a Supreme Court-appointed monitoring committee. On May 24, 2018, the apex court had observed that the national capital was being ‘ravaged’ by encroachments and illegal constructions, as it rejected the centre’s plea, seeking modification of an order asking it to invite suggestions from the public before amending the Master Plan of Delhi. The top court had, on May 15, 2018, asked the centre to give a window of 15 days to the people of Delhi, for giving suggestions or objections to the government, which had proposed amendments to the Master Plan.
In February, the DDA had received 725 suggestions from the public, on its proposed amendment to the Master Plan for Delhi, which includes bringing a uniform floor area ratio (FAR) for shop-cum-residence plots and complexes, on par with residential plots.
The apex court had, on March 6, 2018, stayed the proposed changes in the Master Plan that sought to protect traders from the sealing drive in the national capital, by increasing the FAR.
The Master Plan-2021 is a blueprint for urban planning and expansion in the metropolis, to ensure overall development and the proposed amendments are aimed at bringing a uniform FAR for shop-cum-residential plots and complexes, on par with residential plots. FAR is the ratio of a building’s total floor area (gross floor area) to the size of the piece of land on which it is built.
