Residents, Authorities Discuss Delhi Master Plan 2041

Delhi Development Authority (DDA) and National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) held a meeting with representatives of several resident welfare associations (RWAs) of group housing colonies to seek their suggestions for the formulation of the Master Plan of Delhi (MPD) 2041. As many as 70 residents and RWAs registered through emails. The DDA, in partnership with NIUA, is currently preparing the Master Plan for Delhi 2041. The meeting was chaired by Leenu Sahgal, commissioner (Planning), and HK Bharti, additional commissioner, planning from DDA. The participants were asked to share their suggestions towards improving the built environment, civic facilities and other planning concerns such as redevelopment, open spaces, water supply, solid waste management and parking. The DDA public portal is open for all residents of Delhi to share their views for the future of the city that will become part of a larger vision and strategy for MPD-2041. The main concerns shared by participants included issues with regard to shared facilities and spaces. The issue of access, maintenance and security of shared and common spaces such as terraces, ground floor frontage, parks, common toilets and security facilities was also discussed. RWAs also shared that some colonies had adopted good practices for solid waste management while others still had the issue of collection and segregation of waste.They insisted that the focus should be on promoting solar panel installation, underground cabling of electricity and OFC infrastructure, which may be included in future plans. Participants expressed their consent to take part in the improvement and redevelopment of their colonies in a planned and phased manner. Augmentation of existing infrastructure, ensuring fire safety and provision of lifts were other concerns of improvement related to redevelopment and upgradation. Some of the participants also suggested creating a specific redevelopment policy for group housing colonies with planned densification, upgradation of infrastructure and the need for a robust implementation framework for Master Plan 2041.