NEW DELHI: Buoyed by the Supreme Court order on Wednesday clearing the air on the status of the Master Plan for Delhi-2021, the Union Urban Development Ministry is understood to have swung into action to finalise and notify the new Master Plan. As major portions of the MPD are complete, the Ministry is optimistic about notifying the new document within the next two months.

Hot on the heels of this development, the Group of Ministers (GoM) headed by Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil will meet on October 25 to discuss the situation arising out of the Supreme Court order.

However, the Ministry is not entirely happy with the extension granted to the five-lakh traders -- covered by the September 7 and September 15 notification of the Ministry as well as the Delhi Government -- to file affidavits till January 31.

It is learnt that Union Urban Development Minister S. Jaipal Reddy held consultations with senior officials on the outcome of the review petition filed by the Ministry and was of the view that work should be speeded up on the preparation of the Master Plan for Delhi-2021 that would give a new direction and vision for the development of the Capital.

The new Master Plan is already under "peer review'' by the National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA).

The NIUA has submitted an interim report to the Union Urban Development Ministry but not given any further feedback on the final draft notification that is presently pending with it.

Both Mr. Reddy and his deputy, Ajay Maken, are keen that the new Master Plan is in tune with the ground realities prevailing in the Capital and has to take into account the pressure on infrastructure, the shrinking availability of land and the challenge of accommodating the nearly 68 lakh people that are expected to come and settle in the Capital during the next 15 years.

The new Master Plan has identified about 27,000 hectares of land that could be used for development of infrastructure and other such activity but at the same time laid stress on going vertical in any future planning or development.

Although the Supreme Court has clarified that it did not put any bar on coming out with the new Master Plan, the Ministry is disappointed over the rejection of its plea to allow it to come out with new notifications without seeking permission of the apex court.

"The MCD should not have rushed with the notification of 2,200-odd roads at one go. It should have done it in a proper manner by phasing out the whole exercise. Now a number of new roads are lined up for being notified but will have to undergo scrutiny by the court before they are cleared for a notification. This is something that the Ministry wants to avoid as it has been faced with constant reprimand by the courts,'' a senior official remarked.

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