NEW DELHI: The Delhi Development Authority's meeting on Wednesday on the issue of updating land use in four zones of the Capital turned out to be a stormy affair with some members stalling the finalisation of three zonal plans on the ground that they were far removed from ground realities. However, the meeting approved of the plan for Dwarka (K) Zone for which objections and suggestions had been invited by DDA after the Supreme Court directed it to speed up finalisation of zonal plans.

DDA Member and Municipal Councillor Virender Kasana said (K) Dwarka Zone was approved as the Supreme Court had sought a report on it and DDA had already completed the necessary formalities. As for the (J) South Delhi Zone comprising area from Badarpur to National Highway 8 near Gurgaon it was stated that DDA had shown most of the areas under the Ridge while actually residential colonies existed there. "There are 30 villages in the Ridge and there is no problem as the Supreme Court has stated that no one should touch them. But the fact remains that a number of unauthorised colonies have come up alongside these villages.''

Stating that along with Neb Sarai there is the Freedom Fighters' Colony, Aya Nagar has Aya Nagar Extension, Jaunapur has Bhim Basti and Sangam Vihar is in itself a big colony, Mr. Kasana said all these colonies had not been shown in the zonal plans.

Stating that the residents are hopeful that these colonies would be regularised by the Centre under the proposal sent to them by the Delhi Government, he said DDA had been asked to make the land use corresponding to them "residential''. Also, as there is no scheme to remove these colonies and they are not to be demolished, he said it was essential that the true picture was provided so that amenities such as schools and hospitals were planned only in vacant areas and not plots where residential structures already exist.

Likewise, in the case of the River Yamuna (O) Zone which covers the area from Palla Bakhtawarpur in the North to Badarpur in the South, he said unauthorised colonies such as Abul Fazal Enclave, Shahin Bagh, Jaitpur Part I and II and Saurabh Vihar which are inhabited by lakhs of people have instead of being shown as residential been shown as vacant stretches.

In the (L) Zone that covers the area from Dwarka to Tikri Kalan in West Delhi too it was pointed out by the members that all villages have adjacent unauthorised colonies and so the plan needs to be reviewed.

During the meeting, Lieutenant-Governor B.L. Joshi also asked DDA to make the plans in consonance with the ground reality. The next meeting for approving the zonal plans has now been fixed for June 15.

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