Don’t tinker with the master plan
Our markets are a mess, thanks to the misuse of civic laws
When the Supreme Court (SC) on Monday called the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) “the Delhi Destruction Authority”, its frustration with the agency and the national capital’s planning process was understandable. Each time the apex court has
ourtake ordered action against the misuse of municipal laws, the DDA and successive governments have responded with a plan to protect the violators. Back in 2006, when the apex court ordered the sealing of illegal commercial premises, the then United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government brought a law to protect the affected properties. This was meant to be a temporary intervention, which came with the promise that a mechanism would soon be put in place to rid the city of unauthorised development. Changes were made to the Master Plan. Extensions to this law have been used by the civic agencies as an excuse to not act even against the more recent irregularities.
As a result, our markets have become a civic mess as serious contraventions have gone unchecked. With the recently revived Supreme Court monitoring committee sealing shops, offices and restaurants for breach of municipal norms, the scale of illegal operations revealed is mind-boggling. The DDA’s response has been to suggest amending the Master Plan to accommodate a new set of illegalities. The SC has warned the land agency not to amend the Master Plan in haste. The resident welfare organisations have asked if its decision to allow commercial use of basements, increase floor area ratio, and convert stretches in residential areas to mixed land use was backed by a study.
The DDA may insist that it has put enough safeguards in place. But there is no clarity on enforcement. The stretches approved for mixed land use by the Master Plan in 2007 remain some of the most hazardous commercial spaces in the city. It is time the civic authorities came clean on their priorities. The DDA, for one, is mandated to “promote and secure the development of Delhi”. The word “illegal” has not been inserted in its charter yet.