The draft Master Plan for Delhi 2021-2041 has a number of significant lacunae ranging from the outdated idea of a “Master Plan” framed once...
The draft Master Plan for Delhi 2021-2041 has a number of significant lacunae ranging from the outdated idea of a “Master Plan” framed once in every 20 years to a lack of articulation of the policies or strategies by which the future vision is to be realised.
Missing from the goals is any notion of equity in the city. Not defining future transit lines and arterial roads amounts to bypassing consideration of what a city is all about, the free and easy movement of people and goods. For amenities, the plan is to reduce the land area provided per capita to about half of what it is for the present population.
Provisions for low-income housing are also seriously deficient. They consign the city to a continuing proliferation of unauthorised colonies and a continuing expansion of slums.
The draft Master Plan for Delhi 2021-2041 or MPD 2041, published on June 9, required suggestions and objections to be submitted within 45 days. This the authors have done. This article is an extract from the suggestions and objections limited to issues that the authors believe deserve wider awareness and discussion while the process of reviewing the suggestions and objections continues within government.
Falling short
Draft MPD 2041 with its 20-year horizon...
