Since its establishment in 1984 during the time of undivided Uttar Pradesh, the Mussoorie Dehradun Development Authority (MDDA) has undertaken varied works especially after creation of Uttarakhand state in 2000.
At present, the authority has various upcoming projects which may seem ambitious but have failed to impress skeptics who point out that the authority has paid little heed to even basic tenets of town planning like emphasis on decongesting the core area of the town.
According to information provided by the authority, it has about half a dozen major upcoming projects addressing varied aspects of urban facilitation. The Jolly Grant to Sahastradhara Highway project entails a proposed expressway between Jolly Grant and Sahastradhara in Dehradun. The total tentative cost of this project is Rs 300 crore with survey work stated to be in progress and the consultant stated to be preparing the feasibility study and financial model.
One of the ambitious projects of the authority- the Personal Rapid Transit System (PRTS) proposed to be constructed and operated from the Inter State Bus Terminus to the outer limits of Rajpur Road is also stated to be under official process but observers point out that the plan is fundamentally questionable considering the fact that even the need, feasibility and possibility of such a system has not been ascertained. The plan entails construction of pillars in the middle of the road for tracks on which driver-less coaches will ply on the route with designated stops. Yet another project- the multi level car parking (MlCP) at Astley Hall entails, road widening, construction of ground plus six floors and two basements. The two basement, fifth and sixth floors are proposed to be used for car parking while the ground and first floors are slated to be used for cooperative bazaar with the authority keeping the second, third and fourth floors of the planned MlCP which will have a total parking capacity of 213 cars. Another ambitious plan of the MDDA- the Dehradun railway station shifting project also continues to elicit questions and doubts. The plan entails shifting the Dehradun railway station to Harrawala in public private partnership mode, construction of an express highway in place of the railway track from ‘old’ station to the proposed new station.
According to the MDDA, the conceptual plan for the railway station shifting is ready and coordination with Railway department has been established for securing survey permission from the office of the divisional rail manager.
However, official sources on condition of anonymity opine that this project is more likely to be shelved than being executed considering various factors. The authority had also planned to construct foot over-bridges at selected locations in the town. The first foot over-bridge was constructed at Tehsil Chowk with much fanfare. However, with people still using the road and the foot over-bridge yet to become routinely used for the intended purpose, the authorities are presently showing little enthusiasm for construction of the other planned foot over-bridges at Darshanlal Chowk, near Clock Tower and at Astley Hall.
A man who retired from a senior government position states on condition of anonymity that some of the projects of MDDA and the manner in which constructions are being allowed in localities of the town may end up making the situation worse.
He opines, “ The multipurpose building on Dispensary Road constructed by MDDA after demolishing the historically important district veterinary hospital and the commercial complex near Clock Tower are examples of the authority’s blunders. The intended purposes of both the buildings are yet to be met according to what had been claimed in the past. Apart from this, the various multipurpose and commercial buildings coming up in areas like near the Kachehri and along the Subhash Road will also end up making the traffic congestion situation considerably worse in the coming days since these will bring thousands of additional people and vehicles in locations where there is no more scope for widening the road,” he said.