[Urbanstudy] Development Plan for Mumbai delayed for another two years , to be ready by 2017

[Vinay Baindur]

http://www.mumbaimirror.com/mumbai/others/Development-Plan-for-Mumbai-delayed-for-another-two-years-to-be-ready-by-2017/articleshow/45481360.cms





Development Plan for Mumbai delayed for another two years , to be ready by
2017
By Yogesh Naik, Mumbai Mirror | Dec 12, 2014, 12.00 AM IST

The state assembly on Wednesday approved an amendment to the Maharashtra
Regional Town Planning (MRTP) Act, 1966, granting an extension of two years
for preparation, submission and sanction to the Development Plan. An
ordinance was issued in July in 2014. The plan was to be ready in 2014. The
next deadline was mid 2015 but now the DP will be ready by 2017.

The Congress NCP led DF government in 2011, had amended the MRTP Act
setting a time of four years for the preparation of Development Plans by
various local self-government bodies. Earlier there was no such time-limit.
However, the BMC commissioner and additional commissioners who are the
planners for Mumbai told the state urban development that Mumbai with a
population of 125 lakh had complex issues. Hence preparations would be
delayed.

The amendment has set a time limit of 30 days for the government to invite
objections and suggestions for the modifications proposed to the Draft
Development Plan and that it must approve or reject the draft Development
plan within a year for corporations with population above 10 lakh and six
months for the others.

Urban planner Pankaj Joshi said that the BMC must use the extended time
period to map informal settlements. "The BMC must do a detailed mapping of
the informal settlements like slums and other areas too. Similarly, the
Existing Land Use (ELU) survey had shown up a lot of deficiency of open
spaces. Hopefully, the BMC will eliminate such a deficiency. The BMC must
also protect the existing open spaces from encroachments till the new DP is
finalized," Joshi said.

The BMC has held several workshops with various stakeholders while
preparing the draft for the Development Plan. The BMC has now got the state
government's nod till April to hold workshops with people's
representatives. This is the first time that the BMC has undertaken such an
exercise to hear the public.

BJP legislator Ameet Satam said that the BMC should incorporate a utility
corridor in the new DP to prevent constant digging of roads all over the
city.

Speaking to Mirror, Bandra (W)MLA Ashish Shelar (BJP) said it provided the
BMC with an opportunity to design the DP better.
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