At hearing, experts debate if Central Vista revamp to shrink public space
ONE OF THE MAIN CONCERNS RAISED OVER LAND USE CHANGE OF
101 ACRES IN CENTRAL DELHI IS REGARDING THE IMPACT OF THE PROJECT ON PUBLIC SPACE
nNEWDELHI:THERE is growing opposition to the Centre’s ambitious project to redevelop the Central Vista over the alleged impact it would have on the environment and availability of public spaces.
On the second day of a public hearing conducted by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) on the change of land use in central Delhi for the redevelopment, civil society members and urban development experts registered their objections and the manner in which the project is being executed.
One of the main concerns— DDA has proposed the land use change of 101 acres in central Delhi—is regarding the impact of the project on public space. Heritage experts say these changes might hamper Delhi’s chances of being considered a world heritage city.
“The government has submitted this area to UNESCO to be considered as a world heritage city. It is still under review. In such circumstances, this cannot be treated as just any other part of the city that has to be redeveloped,” said AGK Menon, chief consultant at INTACH.
He noted that “the master plan clearly says a proper study needs to be done before any intervention at a heritage area. No such study has taken place yet.”
“As per the new plan, north block and south block have to be recreated for a museum. Has any study been done on whether it is suited for a museum, or unsuitable for an office?” he asked.
Referring to the Centre’s plan, Rajiv Kakria, convener of Save Our City campaign, said, “The proposed plan is for ‘Maximum Government and Minimum Public’. Till a few years ago, we often drove past Rashtrapati Bhawan. Later we used to drive up to the imposing gate and gradually public access has been restricted. This plan will further make the area, one of the important public spaces in the city, inaccessible. This plan will put an end to the chances of Delhi getting recognised as a world heritage city.”
Civil society members cite the example of the National War Memorial at India Gate C-hexagon. “Now going to India Gate has become a major problem, as the entry and exit to the C-hexagon is restricted and pedestrians have to walk a lot. Public space is only going to get restricted further once all the ministries and VVIP residences are shifted there,” said Gaurav Gambhir, an advocate who runs the ‘Let’s save Delhi campaign’.
Many questioned the need to construct government offices in the heart of the city and said it is a violation of the Master Plan of Delhi-2021. Anil Sood, honorary president of Chetna NGO, said MPD-2021 clearly talks about decongesting the city and mandates DDA to undertake proper surveybeforeplanningconstruction.
“To date they have not done any survey. Construction of new office spaces will only add to congestion. They can’t plan redevelopment of Central Vista in isolation. The impact of such largescale construction on neighbouring areas has to be studied first,” Sood said.
At the public hearing, members of LOKPATH (people for Appropriate Transformation of Habitat), a collective of urban development experts formed recently, said people weren’t given adequate time to come for the public hearing. “The public hearing was done at such a short notice. A large number of people couldn’t come for it as not much time was given and it was held on a weekday,” said Anuj Srivastava, spokesperson of LOKPATH.
The collective said the proposed change is “violation of the MPD-2021” and said it will only add to traffic congestion.
“There is no detailed plan in the public domain regarding the project. The plan to redevelop an iconic space is being carried out in such a callous manner. Moreover, this will result in traffic chaos in the area and around it both during and after the construction,” said Srivastava.
Civil society members raised issues regarding the impact on environment. “For such largescale construction, a lot of trees will have to be cut. There are students who have physically numbered and geo-mapped every tree. We plan to approach Supreme Court,” said Kakria.
A DDA official said, “We have heard all suggestions/objections. We will take a final decision and place it before the authority for its approval. It will be then sent to the housing and urban affairs ministry for final notification.”