DDA approves Draft Master Plan 2041

The Draft Plan prioritises the protection and improvement of good quality green-blue assets for active/passive recreation and leisure. (Representative image)

The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) on February 28 approved the draft Master Plan 2041 which will serve as the blueprint for the development of the Capital for the next two decades.

In its meeting chaired by Lt. Governor VK Saxena, who is also the chairman of DDA, the authority also decided to relax the guidelines pertaining to female beneficiaries for in situ rehabilitation under the Jahan Jhuggi Wahan Makan programme.

In a meeting that lasted for more than three hours, the Lt. Governor said the thrust of MPD-2041, was inclusive development, environmental sustainability, green economy, infrastructure development that included sufficient housing for all sections of the society, innovative interventions like Transit Oriented Development (TOD) Hubs, Land Pooling, Green Area Development and Rejuvenation and Regeneration of the City.

The Authority Meeting was attended by Subhasish Panda, Vice Chairman, DDA and other members.

The Draft Master Plan for Delhi -2041 was approved today by the Authority and now it will be forwarded to the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs for final approval and notification, the DDA said in a statement.

The first Master Plan for Delhi was promulgated in 1962 under the Delhi Development Act 1957. These plans are prepared for 20 years perspective periods and provided a holistic framework for the planned development of Delhi. The Draft MPD-2041 is a ‘strategic’ and ‘enabling’ framework to guide the future growth of the city, built upon the lessons learnt from the implementation of the previous plans and based on learning from across the country with respect to the implementation of various projects and schemes.

The Draft Master Plan for Delhi-2041 (MPD-2041) has been divided into 2 Volumes, and 10 Chapters. The vision for MPD-2041 is to “Foster a Sustainable, Liveable and Vibrant Delhi”.The draft Master Plan for Delhi- 2041 is prepared based on extensive citizen and stakeholder engagement which includes government departments, local bodies, RWAs, traders and market associations, NGOs, organisations, professionals, experts and individuals.

The key features of the Master Plan are that it will be a more people-friendly document, easy-to-read and understand by the general public apart from professionals; a GIS-based land use plan is developed which will enable stakeholders to ease the understanding of the applicability of policies/provisions of draft Master Plan on the ground more precisely.

The Draft Plan prioritises the protection and improvement of good quality green-blue assets for active/passive recreation and leisure. This includes biodiversity parks, integrated floodplain planning, the revival of baolis/ water bodies, the development of walking and cycling trails along with the rejuvenation of drain buffers. Buildings will also be required to meet Green-Blue Factor (GBF) conditions to ensure sustainable development practices, DDA said in a statement.

Additionally, the plan also proposes the rejuvenation of the Yamuna River and its floodplain through the preparation of a Comprehensive River Development Plan for river Yamuna. It also enhances Delhi’s preparedness as regards climate change impacts and tackling pollution. It also proposes to encourage the development of a Night Time Economy for a safe and vibrant city.

Regarding the resolution of the issues arising in the cases of eligible beneficiaries of In-situ rehabilitation projects being undertaken by DDA, the policy of DDA stipulates that allotment of flats or dwelling units has to be made in the joint name of husband and wife even though the allottee may be male spouse.

However, while making allotments in favour of JJ Dwellers under the in-Situ Rehabilitation Scheme at Kalkaji, it has been observed that in a number of cases, only the female spouse is occupying jhuggi jhopdi and the male spouse is reported to be missing, deserted or dead.

Such female beneficiaries don’t have the legal documents such as the valid decree of divorce, death certificate or any declaration w.r.t. missing person by the competent authority/ court. The need has been felt to relax the above condition so that benefits of the In-Situ Rehabilitation Scheme are not denied to genuine female beneficiaries, DDA said in a statement.

For successful implementation of In-Situ Rehabilitation projects and in order to provide relief to the beneficiaries of all such projects, it was decided that a possession letter may be issued in the single name of the women spouse occupying the jhuggi in such cases, it added.