Amid tremendous pressure from traders and businesses, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs is coming out with a regulation to stop sealing of unauthorised structures in Delhi following the order of the Supreme Court Monitoring Committee. “The final regulation is ready and it will be announced by the minister within a few days,” Puri added. The traders in Delhi have been protesting against the sealing of commercial establishments running from residential areas or premises.
Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Thursday said the required amendments in the Master Plan for delhi 2021 will be announced soon to stop sealing in Delhi. Commercial premises of several traders have been sealed for failing to deposit conversion charges according to provisions in Master Plan 2021.
The Minister said the Delhi Development Authority (DDA had attended to 700-800 formal submissions by various stakeholders on the proposed amendments in the Delhi master plan 2021 to ease the problem, besides having an oral hearing to the suggestions and grievances of the public.
The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) had on February 2 proposed three amendments to the master plan - a uniform floor area ratio (FAR) for shop-cum-residential complexes, reduced penalties and regularising agricultural godowns. These amendments were aimed at providing relief to traders from the sealing drive. The ministry has decided to allow commercial activities in basement in all commercial streets subject to the payment of charges without any discrimination. The ministry has also finalised a policy for godown clusters existing in non-conforming areas.
According to Puri, the new regulation was finalized after considering and discussing with the various stakeholders and suggestions/objections received by the land owning agency Delhi Development Authority. Noting that the sealing in Delhi was carried out on the directions of the apex court, Puri said the authorities concerned, including the housing and urban affairs ministry and DDA, would file an affidavit in the court regarding the matter.
During discussions on suggestions and objections, many traders/residents welfare associations said that they have no clarity on how to calculate additional FAR in colonies where civic bodies don’t even approve building plans. They also want DDA to come up with a concrete plan to address the problem once and for all. They also demanded that the MPD should be clear on development control norms and calculation of conversion charges.
In fact, it was the DDA - that had been tasked with acquiring and developing land in Delhi - which prepared the first master plan in 1962. The plan had provided for a city centre, at least 75 district centres, 300 community centres, 1,250 local shopping centres and 3,000 convenient shopping centres for meeting the city’s commercial needs. But, over the years, numerous unauthorised colonies and slums have come up on agricultural and even government land and most of the commercial activity moved there due to the costs being low.
After 1962, the next master plan came up in 1986. The Master Plan Delhi 2001 came into effect in 1991.