The Hindu : New Delhi News : Vardhan sees red in Master Plan

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Saturday, Jan 06, 2007
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New Delhi

Vardhan sees red in Master Plan

Staff Reporter

`No provisions for relief from sealing'

NEW DELHI: Delhi Bharatiya Janata Party president Harsh Vardhan has cautioned that land mafia will take control of commercial and residential land in the Capital if the proposed new Master Plan for Delhi-2021is implemented in its present form.

In a statement, he said the current residential, rural, health, commercial and trade structure of Delhi would be altered with an adverse effect on employment as well.

Criticising the State Government's decision to hand over land and construction work in residential, commercial and trade areas to private builders, Dr. Vardhan said this would result in escalation in the prices of shops and residential property. "The role of the Delhi Development Authority will be limited to recovery of facilitation fee and framing impractical schemes," he said.

The BJP leader also pointed out that there were no provisions for permanent relief from demolition and sealing in the Master Plan. "The fee prescribed by the DDA for changing the land use on the notified 2,183 roads will not be possible for any trader to pay. For a 1,000 square feet area, the fee is Rs.53,000 to Rs.2.10 lakhs. This fee needs to be paid every year and the amount will become double for every higher storey."

Dr. Vardhan also suggested that the status of the areas that have been declared professional and commercial before the 1962 Master Plan came into effect should be unaltered. Referring to the regularisation of 1,500 unauthorised colonies, he said the Government had not made any provisions for the same, despite having listed 1,432 colonies for regularisation.

The BJP leader accused the Government of drawing up plans that would result in demolition of villages in rural and urban areas. "The schemes framed for re-development of villages if implemented will result in them being bulldozed. Under this scheme, wide roads, wide lanes, parks, community centres, power centre, panchayat ghar and police posts are essential for development of villages, sufficient space for these will be created by demolishing structures," Dr. Vardhan pointed out.

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