MORE BLUNDERS POP UP IN DRAFT DP; AT RISK ARE CITY’S AMENITIES

MUMBAI: The number of blunders in Mumbai’s 20-year development blueprint continues to rise, putting many of its essential, and scarce, amenities at risk.

A new study of the civic body’s designation survey — an exercise to mark existing amenities in the development plan (DP) — shows more than 600 private and public amenities have not been marked correctly. This isn’t all. Close to 700 private amenities have not been marked at all and 330 public open spaces are endangered by the survey, as it marks them as ‘recreational grounds’, a category of open spaces where construction is currently permitted.

This data is from a study submitted to BMC by Urban Design Research Institute (UDRI), an NGO working on urban planning.

Following a report by HT, the civic body had said it will amend rules to ensure no construction is done on open spaces, but the other omissions that the study has highlighted will prove detrimental to the city, exposing its scarce amenities to new risks, urban planners said.

First, if a plot of land is marked incorrectly, its use will not be considered for the next 20 years, allowing land sharks to use it for commercial purposes. Second, leaving the amenities out will present a skewed picture of what the city has. Urban planners pointed out the flaws will also lead to plots being taken over for commercially-attractive uses, leading to haphazard development.

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