Khanna Committee recomemdations
should not be ignored: Delhi Traders
New Delhi, Dec 18: Traders
today asked the Centre to include recommendations of the Tejinder Khanna
Committee in the Delhi Master Plan 2021 for better planning in the capital
and demanded an integrated mechanism for administration.
"The Khanna Committee has
recommended many innovative ways for planning in Delhi and we want the
government to include those in the master plan 2021," confederation of
all India traders secretary general Praveen Khandelwal said.
He said the Khanna Committee
has recommended the setting up of a Delhi vision group, formation of urban
regulatory authority comprising town planners, engineers and representatives
of DDA and MCD and constitution of a real estate commission to maintain
digital data of all urban properties.
The Khanna Committee has
also recommended the setting up of an enforcement agency to check the menace
of unauthorised constructions and an empowered special task force for key
infrastructure projects to monitor projects, he said.
"The centre has already accepted
the Khanna Committee recommendations and therefore it is important to include
it in the MPD 2021 to regularise all businesses so that traders are given
permanent relief from sealing," Khandelwal said.
He said the basic problem
of Delhi`s planning was the multiplicity of authorities and an "integrated
mechanism of administration in the capital under the direct control of
a particular authority".
The CAIT has also extended
its support to the traders protesting against the sealing drive in various
other states including Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Karnataka.
All possible steps to
provide relief to traders: Manmohan
Friday, Nov 17, 2006. NEW
DELHI: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday assured a delegation of
MLAs, led by Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, that the Centre would
take all possible legislative measures to provide relief to the lakhs of
people affected by the ongoing sealing drive in the capital.
During the hour-long interaction,
Dr. Singh directed the Home Ministry to submit a note on delegating more
powers to the Delhi Government.
He sought a detailed note
on the progress made on the Omesh Saigal Committee report on the working
of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) and the Ashok Pradhan Committee
report on more powers for the Delhi Government.
Assuring the MLAs that the
Union Government would do everything possible to sort out the issue, Dr.
Singh stated that whatever legislative measures were required would be
taken and it would not hesitate to approach the judiciary.
Earlier, briefing the Prime
Minister, Ms. Dikshit said concrete steps were needed to grant full statehood
to Delhi so that it got more powers to take decisions for the city and
its people.
Demanding that both the Delhi
Development Authority and the MCD be brought under the Delhi Government,
Ms. Dikshit sought a helping hand in resolving the problems faced by traders.
Pradesh Congress Committee
president Ram Babu Sharma urged Dr. Singh to introduce an "amnesty scheme"
to resolve all issues, and also notify the new Master Plan for Delhi-2021.
Mahabal Mishra, MLA, said
the Congress was passing through a bad phase and the common man was blaming
the party for all the mess.
Possible solutions : Stating
that grant of full statehood and regularisation of unauthorised colonies
were among the solutions, Mr. Mishra urged the Prime Minister to sympathetically
consider measures to end the sealing exercise.
RWAs to pull out of UDM
committee
New Delhi, September 12:
Delhi RWAs will approach the Ministry of Urban Development to withdraw
their earlier request to be involved in MCD decisions on commercial activities
in residential areas. “We have unfortunately fallen prey to the designs
of politicians who have used us against each other,” said RC Kamboj of
the Rohini Federation of RWAs.
Key RWAs met today to discuss
the MoUD notifications and the role played by the Delhi Government and
instructed all RWAs who made representations to the Tejinder Khanna Committee
to withdraw their representations immediately.
Challenging the MCD Standing
Committee recommendation for mixed land use, VN Bali of Ram Nagar in East
Delhi said, “If our colony has been provided a commercial complex for its
own needs, why is the MCD declaring more areas commercial”. RWAs feel that
the MCD recommendations will lead to residential colonies being converted
into commercial establishments.
DDA passes resolution
allowing mixed land use
Wednesday, Sep 06, 2006
All schools allowed to function
from residential areas while restricting the banquet halls
DDA has also relaxed the
provision of commercial activity in all categories to roads that are 18-metre
wide
All these resolution have
been passed despite stiff opposition from several RWAs which had stated
that unplanned mixed use is a disastrous concept
NEW DELHI: Giving major relief
to those engaged in commercial activities in resettlement colonies, unauthorised
colonies and regularised colonies, the Delhi Development Authority on Tuesday
passed a resolution allowing mixed land use on 6-metre-wide roads in all
these areas. Further, it also allowed all schools to function from residential
areas while restricting the banquet halls to existing and proposed commercial
and industrial areas.
With the resolution being
sent to the Union Urban Development Ministry for notification, several
DDA members expressed the hope that it would be notified within this week
and would provide the much needed respite from sealing to lakhs of residents.
DDA Vice-Chairman Dinesh Rai said the decisions taking during the day were
based on the recommendations of the Tejinder Khanna Committee.
At a marathon three-hour
meeting chaired by the officiating Lieutenant-Governor, A.R. Kidwai, at
Haryana Bhavan here, the Authority allowed running of pedestal street shops
in all C, D, E, F, G and H category colonies. It also permitted building
material business pertaining to sand and iron within the four walls of
buildings in all these areas. As for the A and B category areas, it was
stated that the views of the residents' welfare associations concerned
would be taken before providing relief to commercial activities therein.
Providing further impetus
to commercialisation of the city, DDA also relaxed the provision of commercial
activity in all categories to roads that are 18-metre wide. Earlier, the
minimum requirement was that the road should be at least 30-metre-wide.
However, as before, hazardous and other activities falling in the negative
list will not be permitted.
DDA member Mahabal Mishra
said the meeting also permitted running of banquet halls in all commercial
and industrial areas.
While not allowing them to
run from residential areas, DDA has sought to provide them relief too by
allowing them in new commercial areas to be identified soon.
The biggest bonanza is for
schools across the city which were fearing closure due to their illegal
status in residential areas. Holding out that no Delhi Government, Municipal
Corporation of Delhi or recognised school would be sealed, DDA has given
all unrecognised schools a year's time to get themselves recognised and
continue with their activities.
For the preparatory schools.
too, the rules have been further eased and now besides ground floor they
would also be able to operate from first floor of buildings.
In the villages, commercial
activities would be permitted on existing roads. Member Jile Singh Chauhan
said in Lal Dora and extended Lal Dora areas all activities barring hazardous
ones would be permitted. "Further, DDA has been asked to redefine the definition
of warehousing so that there is no loss to the villagers," he said.
Adopting a holistic approach
after allowing all kinds of commercial activities, DDA also passed a resolution
to clear all encroachments from government land on main roads.
Another important decision
taken at the meeting pertained to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi identifying
in consultation with DDA roads with heavy commercialisation for declaring
them commercial.
Incidentally, all these resolution
have been passed despite stiff opposition from several RWAs which had stated
that unplanned mixed use is a disastrous concept. They had held that zoning
is a modern town planning concept and mixed-use could only be an exception
and not a rule.
The Delhi Residents' Welfare
Associations Joint Front had stated that the model mixed land abuse being
sought to be legalised will set a wrong trend in other cities and this
unplanned growth will put further pressure on the inadequate civic services.
DDA member Virender Kasana
said guest houses had now been permitted on nine metre and wider roads
in resettlement colonies and in case of villages mixed use has been permitted
on all kinds of roads.
Tejinder Khanna Committee
Wednesday, Aug 02, 2006
NEW DELHI: In a bid to regulate
growth and commercialisation in the rural belt of the Capital and adhering
to the suggestions made by the Tejinder Khanna Committee, the Union Urban
Development Ministry has set up an "Expert Committee" to recommend special
building by-laws for "Lal Dora" and its extended areas. At present, no
such building by-laws exist for the rural areas of Delhi.
The Khanna Committee had
sought framing of special building by-laws for such areas stating that
lack of such a policy had led to unauthorised and unplanned growth. It
had also recommended that all existing showrooms or guest houses on major
public roads be regularised in view of the general policy recommendation
to allow non-residential activity along such roads. Commercial activity
could also be permitted on narrow streets below nine metres and six metres
width provided such streets are designated as pedestrian shopping streets
(PSS), it had added.
Positive inputs
According to sources, the
decision to constitute the Expert Committee was taken to get positive inputs
and a feel of the situation at the ground level so that further action
including framing of laws could be initiated under the new regime. The
Committee has been asked to submit its report within three months so that
its recommendations could be incorporated ino the Master Plan for Delhi-2021
that is currently under preparation and expected to be formally notified
in a few months. "The idea of the whole exercise is to keep into account
the present situation prevailing in the rural areas of the Capital. There
is virtually total non-existence of civic amenities due to lack of proper
planning and regulated growth. This has to change and the rural belt has
to be given a new face by helping it emerge at par with the urban areas
but at the same time retain its rural character,'' a senior official remarked.
Sources said the decision
to constitute experts groups to study the various issues pertaining to
the Tejinder Khanna Committee indicated the Ministry's seriousness to sort
out the mess and set the ball rolling for not only changes in the laws
and bringing them in tune with the modern times but also give the Capital
the chance for "Nav Nirman'' (Re-development). The Committee is likely
to survey all existing properties and evaluate them from the standpoint
of structural safety.
"There is no reason why villagers
who happen to have plots within Lal Dora adjoining major roads should be
denied the opportunity of exploiting the favourable location to their advantage,
in the same way as an owner of similar premises outside the Lal Dora area,''
the official remarked.
The Khanna panel had also
recommended that all future construction and land use in Lal Dora and extended
Lal Dora areas be brought within an appropriate framework of regulations.
NEW DELHI: The Union Urban Development Ministry is understood to have
made up its mind to notify the recommendations of the Tejinder Khanna Committee
report on mixed land use and new building by-laws in the Capital. The notification
is expected to be issued this week giving one month's time for seeking
public views before notifying it as part of the Master Plan for Delhi-2001.
According to highly placed sources, Urban Development Minister Jaipal
Reddy has taken a decision to this effect after prolonged consultations
with his junior colleague Ajay Maken and senior officials.
In another development, the Urban Development Ministry is apparently
planning to include the issuing of notification on the Tejinder Khanna
Committee report in the affidavit to be filed before the Supreme Court
that is scheduled to take up hearing on the validity of the Delhi Laws
(Special Provisions) Act, 2006, on July 31. In addition, the affidavit
is also likely to mention the fact that the Delhi Development Authority
had already acted on the directions of the Supreme Court and notified the
zonal plans that are a very important aspect for development of any area
or city.
According to sources, Mr. Reddy had appraised the Prime Minister's Office
of the developments on the demolitions and sealing issue. Mr. Reddy is
of the view that the Union Urban Development Ministry should act fast and
not sit on the findings of the Tejinder Khanna Committee that had made
several recommendations after taking into consideration the viewpoint expressed
by a cross-section of society including residents' welfare associations.
"We will give 30 days' notice as mandatory for such an exercise to seek
public feedback on the notification of the various aspects of the report.
After that period and taking into consideration the public opinion, major
recommendations of the Tejinder Khanna Committee would be notified by amending
the Master Plan for Delhi-2001 for all old structures and old areas. The
new areas and structures would be covered by the new Master Plan for Delhi-2021
when it is notified,'' said a senior Ministry official.
This development should bring cheer to residents' welfare associations
and provide major relief to large sections of people affected by various
directions of the Court. The Tejinder Khanna Committee has recommended
"zero tolerance'' for mixed land use in posh Tier-I colonies, limited mixed
land use in middle-class Tier-II colonies and a liberal mixed land use
policy in economically weaker Tier-III and other colonies across the Capital.
The Committee has categorised the colonies on the basis of the Unit
Area Method scheme leaving out a majority of the posh colonies of the Capital
out of the mixed land use ambit and applying the "zero tolerance'' formula
there as demanded by the local RWAs.
In such colonies, the Committee has suggested that in the case of self-occupied
premises of professionals such as lawyers, doctors, architects, chartered
accounts, lawyers and computer specialists, only up to 50 per cent of the
covered area should be allowed for "home-based professional work stations''.
For any other existing or proposed non-residential use, the onus for justifying
such use should be much stiffer and cast on the applicant.
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