By Praveen Dwivedi
New Delhi, Aug 12 (IANS): The Master Plan of Delhi-2041, a blueprint of planning to ensure sustainable development of land and the people of the city for the next two decades, has stirred up a debate among resident groups and the civil society.
The draft, which got preliminary approval from the advisory council of the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) chaired by Lt Governor Anil Baijal on June 9 and was put in the public domain for inviting objections and suggestions for the next 45 days, has led to debates among the residents of various civil society groups.
The debates on the draft MPD-2041 have even prompted the Central government to direct the DDA to extend the date for inviting public suggestions til August 23.
The many suggestions received from different individuals and civil society groups include the need for provisions for child-friendly mobility, creche facilities and feeding rooms to increase women's participation in the workforce.
The development of a gender-friendly city is also another key suggestion in order to ensure that women and other genders can avail services such as housing, education, justice, medical treatment and so on.
However, amid the ongoing debate over the draft MPD-2041, DDA's Vice Chairman Anurag Jain said that the plan will be completed by the end of this year.
"There were many challenges in preparing the MPD-2041. All the previous mater plans of Delhi, including the current MPD-2021, were completed after the stipulated time frame. But MPD-2041 has been prepared within the stipulated time, despite delay in the process due to the Covid pandemic," Jain told IANS.
"We are going through all the suggestions and recommendations received from various sections of people. All the recommendations and objections will be placed for discussion before the advisory council of DDA. Every suggestion received from the people is valuable as the MPD-2041 is not just a draft in paper, but a plan for the development of the city and the growth its people. We are hopeful that MPD-2041 will be completed by the end of December 2021," Jain said.
The preparations for the draft MPD-2041 began in July 2017, after the DDA signed a pact with the National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) for this purpose.
The 487-page document (draft MPD-2041) deals with several issues that will impact the city in the years to come. It emphasises on sustainability, be it environmental, infrastructural or financial.
It covers a plan for 24-hour city with night-time economy, extensive transport infrastructure, affordable housing for all and healthy environment to check unauthorised colonies and pollution.
The vision document largely covers the policies of environment, economy, mobility, heritage, culture and public space, among others.
Emphasis has also been given on policies such as transit-oriented development (TOD) and land pooling policy of MPD-2021.
The first Master Plan for Delhi was promulgated in 1962 under the Delhi Development Act of 1957, followed by the Master Plans of 2001 and 2021, each of which was an extensive modification of the respective previous plan documents.