[in-enaction]

THE GREAT TERRAIN ROBBERY IN DELHI'S HOUSING - 3.2.1.0
Gita Dewan Verma / Planner / 03.03.03

The following is just from last week. Similar is unfolding in other
matters. Delhi's citizens would do well to watch out for themselves, as
those meant to watch out for them seem not to be doing so.

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3 SCHEMES

2 March 2003, DDA announced another scheme to try and sell miles of its
empty flats in Narela. For the first time ever it says even those who have
a home in Delhi can apply. An invitation for speculative second-home
purchase is beyond DDA's jurisdiction to extend as a public authority.

2 March 2003, newspapers also had a DDA advertisement that has been
appearing off and on in the last month. It is for auction of residential
plots and openly sells the idea of speculation and second home investments
in DDA development.

28 February 2003, DDA announced a scheme for allotting to government
officials 800 flats in prime locations (purportedly as general public does
not want them - a claim inconsistent with plans to build only HIG flats in
future, etc). Simultaneously there is talk of shifting central offices
elsewhere to NCR.


2 SCAMS

28 February 2003, DSIDC issued a press note advising allottees in its
Bawana industrial relocation scheme to take possession of their plots.
Amidst promises of regularisation, only about 50 units have moved to
16000-plot Bawana, even as over 10000 families were relocated there with
promise of industrial employment. And DSIDC's inexplicable workers'
housing project for 3000 more continues to be reported, long after it made
news for being inaugurated on 19 February by CM.

26 February 2003, action was taken against 5 DDA engineers for the
mega-housing projects' scam. In January DDA Chairman had attributed scam
allegations to 'jealousies' among contractors, but political intervention
led to a vigilance enquiry. A more substantive enquiry ordered by the
Court in September (which might have exposed the more substantive scam of
misuse of public land for HIG flats and builder profits) has not been
conducted.


1 BETRAYAL

2 March 2003, it is 3 months (within which an SLP can be filed in Supreme
Court) since the 29 November court order striking down Delhi's slum
policy. In mid-December there was complete political consensus against the
court order and all had announced intent to file appeal. None has done so.
There is no clarity about slum policy in Delhi, but a precise budget
allocation has been made in the union budget for Delhi's slums.


3.2.1.0

March 2003, according to what DDA Commissioner Planning told the press, is
when the draft of the revised Master Plan might be made public. Several
things point to lack of accountability on implementation of existing Plan
entitlements and to schemes and scams of the type noted - illegal,
inequitable, unsustainable - setting the tone for the revised Plan that
will be law for the next 20 years. Several things also point to the fact
that opportunities available to citizens (meaning people themselves, not
those who claim to serve, represent, save or watch over their interests)
to intervene - the courts and the Public Notice process - have been badly
undermined.

The court option fares poorly in a cost-benefit analysis. In the slum
matter accountability on entitlements has been sought since August 2002,
but despite being on 'winning' ground in court, citizens have not 'won'.
DDA has not bothered to reply and has attempted demolition seven times. In
the mega-housing projects matter also the 'win' in court has yet to be
'won' on ground. 1700 families responded to the Public Notice precipitated
and are still having to police the state as work on the site has not quite
stopped. Yesterday they were told that if they complain again they'd be
put in lock-up.

The democratic Public Notice process has been systematically marginalised
by exclusive pseudo-participation mechanisms like seminars, bhagidari,
etc.  And all-round failure to uphold the sanctity of the Public Notice
was demonstrated when the metro police station was inaugurated by LG in a
swanky building while Public Notice process for land use change of the
site is still on. The site - riverbed / green - is within gaze of DDA,
Delhi Government Secretariat and many NGOs working for the poor or for
environment and within walking distance from SPA and ITPI and major media
offices. Shorn of all else, what has happened is that those in charge have
successfully tested, shortly before the Master Plan is to be put to Public
Notice, that they can get away with subverting the law to ignore
democratically and lawfully expressed public opinion.


0.1.2.3

I don't think we have to or should take this. I am only a planner and do
not know what it will take to change our world, but I do know that if
citizens do not intervene in the Master Plan revision, Delhi will not
survive the plans willfully being made for it. And, from experiences of my
clients, I know one more thing. It helps (if not to 'win', at least to not
'lose') to keep questioning - NOT to posit alternatives and provide others
an excuse to posit theirs, but to demand accountability on entitlements
guaranteed by law and force all alternatives to be evaluated against
these. (To simply say: This is what is ours by right. We will not be
denied and we will not be shortchanged. Do whatever else you like but do
not infringe our rights. And don't ask us what to do, get experts to
figure that out and make sure they add value to and do not downsize our
entitlements. And don't ask our help to do what needs doing, use the army
of public servants paid to serve.) I believe if people take such
disciplined positions, others in the development dialogue will have no
choice but to do the same and will no longer be able to obfuscate and
scam.

In the instant matter, excessive HIG housing infringes three clear Plan
entitlements. (1) housing entitlements of other classes, through misuse of
public land / resources meant for them. (2) entitlements of all to
carrying-capacity based development as HIG housing is likely to be more
infrastructure-stressing. (3) entitlements of all to squalor-free planned
development, as preoccupation with HIG housing and indifference to slum
policy is making the slum problem intractable.
One thing that anyone who perceives risk of infringement of entitlements
can / must do is seek clarification from appropriate public authorities,
in this case DDA and MoUD.

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