Residents welfare associations raise doubts about implementation of proposals
The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) on Tuesday said that the proposed amendments to the Master Plan of Delhi (MPD) 2021 had been approved in the authority meeting.
In a meeting chaired by Lieutenant-Governor Anil Baijal, who is also the chairman of the DDA, the proposed amendments to the MPD-2021, including a uniform Floor Area Ratio (FAR) for both residential and commercial plots, got approved, the authority said in a statement.
The FAR is the ratio of a building’s total floor area (gross floor area) to the size of the piece of land upon which it is built. The urban body, further, said that basements would be permitted for commercial or professional activities.
“The permissibility of basements for commercial or professional activities is being allowed in shop-cum-residential plots as already applicable for mixed-use or commercial streets. Other service professionals like IT professionals, real estate agents, matrimonial services etc., have also been permitted as part of permissible uses under mixed use,” said the urban body.
“The enhancement of FAR will certainly benefit not only the traders as they can regularise their extra construction. On the other hand, the usage of basements for commercial purposes is a welcome step,” said Praveen Khandelwal, general secretary of the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT).
The urban body, further, said that in areas where parking cannot be provided within the plot, the concerned local bodies will identify and develop land for providing shared or common parking.
“In the absence of any land for parking in the vicinity, such complexes or streets shall be declared as pedestrian shopping streets or areas,” the DDA said in the statement.
Conversion charges
The DDA also said that the ambiguity regarding the annual payment of use conversion charges for “indefinite period” has been rectified. The urban body added that the notification of the 351 roads for commercial or mixed use was being expedited by the State government.
However, dissatisfied with the amendments to the MPD-2021, residents welfare associations raised doubts about the implementation of the proposals.
“There is confusion as things are contradictory. How are the authorities planning to implement the amendments that they have approved? In the amendments, they have allowed commercial activities in the basements as well. Where is the infrastructure to do the same? Similarly, with respect to FAR, they have mentioned a clause about additional FAR. What is this supposed to mean? Is it for an additional area and if so, then the entire point of uniform FAR stands defeated,” said B.S. Vohra, president of the East Delhi RWA Joint Federation Front.
Earlier this month, the DDA had proposed to introduce certain amendments to the MPD-2021 as a relief to traders protesting against the ongoing sealing drive. The Board of Enquiry of the DDA, on February 23 had submitted recommendations for amendments to the Master Plan after taking into consideration objections and suggestions put forth by various stakeholders.
