DDA gives nod to changes in Master Plan, helps gyms
NEW DELHI: The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) on Wednesday approved a proposal to drop the cut-off date of August 12, 2008, mentioned in the Master Plan of Delhi-2021, to regularise fitness centres that have come up since. The decision has set aside fears of sealing the existing ones and putting in place new regulations for fitness centres to operate from residential areas.
According to a senior DDA official, fitness centres that come up after the date of notification of this amendment will be allowed only on the ground floor and basement. The amendments were approved in a meeting headed by Delhi Lieutenantgovernor (L-G) Anil Baijal, who is also the chairman of the landowning agency.
“Fitness centres, including gymnasiums, yoga and meditation centres, and wellness centres have been allowed to continue, considering their role to make the ‘Fit India Movement’ a success. It has been decided that from the date of notification, new fitness and wellness centres shall only be allowed to operate on ground floors and basements,” a statement issued by the DDA on Wednesday stated.
Existing fitness centres can continue operations after paying conversion charges for operating from floors other than the ground floor and basement.
Earlier this month, a Supreme Court-appointed monitoring committee had directed the DDA and municipal corporations to seal fitness centres that came up in non-commercial areas after August 12, 2008.
Gym owners said that the decision has provided relief to owners of existing centres. However, they said that it would be difficult for new centres to come up, as the rentals in commercial and mixed land-use areas are high.
“The amendment does bring relief to existing gyms and other such centres, but our concern is for centres that will open in the future. It will be difficult for the new centres to run as the rents are high in commercial and mixed land-use areas. This will affect the entire industry,” said Chirag Sethi, vice-president of Delhi Gym Association.
“We have also requested the civic bodies not to seal any such centre till the amendments come into effect,” he added.
The proposed amendments will be put in the public domain for suggestions for a period of 30 days.
Meanwhile, the DDA also approved the long-pending policy for transit-oriented development (TOD) in Delhi, which aims to bring development around transit nodes and facilitate complete ease of access, allowing people to walk, cycle and use public transport using personal modes of transport.
Also, it gave its nod to the amalgamation of LIG flats at Narela, where there are 1,000 such flats.
“Considering the requests received from public for allotment of LIG flats ‘In-pair’ so as to purchase two adjacent LIG flats at an affordable cost, by amalgamating them into on bigger unit, the authority has decided to allot 1,000 LIG flats (500 pairs),” the statement read.