DUAC Tamasha: Jaipal Reddy speech (on "overall aesthetics of cities")

The Union Urban Development Minister Shri Jaipal Reddy has announced 
that one lakh dwelling units will be constructed in the next two years 
to the slum dwellers of Delhi. The multi-storied housing units would be 
constructed through public private partnership on the land occupied by 
the slum dwellers. Speaking at the Delhi Urban Art Commission Exhibition 
in New Delhi today Shri Reddy said Delhi is the most wealthy city in 
terms of culture, history and heritage and has to evolve its own model 
instead of aping any city. The minister stated “ we have to plan for 
proper dwelling units for 16 million population in the city and soon the 
figure touches 20 million, and we have to be liberal and fair in 
allowing the growth without sacrificing the character of the city”. Shri 
Reddy said that the city could be beautified while taking care of the 
needs of the poor.

The following is the full text of the speech of Union Urban Development 
Minister Shri Jaipal Reddy at the DUAC exhibition :

“Shri Joshiji, Lt. Governor of Delhi, Smt. Shiela Dixit, Chief Minister 
of Delhi, Shri Anil Baijal, Secretary (Urban Development) and 
distinguished delegates, it is heartening to see that the Delhi Urban 
Art Commission under the dynamic leadership of its Chairman Shri Charles 
Correa has plans to enhance the Capital city to a level of which every 
Indian shall be proud of. At a time when India is the focus of attention 
globally as one of the fastest growing economies of the world, it is but 
natural that its Capital city should be amongst the top cities of the world.

Towns and cities are places of social, cultural, economic and political 
interaction. This exhibition is a site for interaction between 
policy-makers, architects, social scientists and citizens. It is a 
welcome move because it addresses part of a larger challenge.

In the last 75 years India, like many countries of the so-called Third 
World, has seen an accelerating growth in urban populations, and a 
steady increased in the ratio of urban to rural dwellers. The agencies 
of government have been aware of this, and have addressed it in many 
ways – at the national level through Commissions to study small and 
medium towns, to study urbanization, to initiate urban renewal. At the 
local levels small-scale Improvement Trusts were superceded by town and 
country planning bodies, and by measures to make civic bodies more 
effective. What needs to be increased is the participation of citizens 
in the process of urban governance and in formulating vision statements. 
Exhibition like this marks a beginning in this direction.

What also needs to be addressed is the overall aesthetics of cities and 
towns India is a country where beauty is inherent, in the landscape and 
in crafts and in the performing arts. Beautiful cities were our 
heritage. They should also be our present and our future. The Delhi 
Urban Art Commission which was set up by an Act of Parliament in1974, 
with a view to regulating the development of Delhi – which had begun to 
go the high-rise way. Mrs. Indira Gandhi personally was very concerned 
about the need to retain the special qualities of Delhi and see to it 
that it developed into a visually beautiful city. Civic amenities and 
urban aesthetics complement each other, and the role of a body like the 
DUAC should be to ensure that both receive attention.

In planning and development of the Capital city of Delhi, several 
agencies such as the Delhi Development Authority, Municipal Corporation 
of Delhi, New Delhi Municipal Council and the Delhi Urban Art Commission 
play a very significant role. Our development agencies like Delhi Metro 
Rail Corporation, Central Public Works Department, the PWD etc. also 
execute large projects/schemes which have a bearing on the urban form as 
well as development perspective of the city to each of the agencies play 
its own role within its specific statutory and functional framework. 
Consequently, the need of the hour is that all these agencies work in 
tandem to enable us to achieve the common goal of placing the city at a 
higher pedestal. The synergy through strategic partnership between these 
agencies would help in evolving a holistic perspective for development 
of the Capital city. In view of this the Ministry of Urban Development 
now propose to formulate a blueprint for evolving a strategic 
partnership between the aforesaid agencies for providing a forum to 
discuss various plans, programmes of all these bodies and develop new 
ideas and to ensure their effective implementation. Such a forum would 
enable regular interaction amongst the local bodies and major players 
like the DUAC on an ongoing basis.

The primary role of the group would be to serve as a think tank in which 
preliminary ideas can be evolved by all the participating agencies so as 
to benefit from collective wisdom, concerns and experiences. The new 
initiatives of development agencies and local bodies as well as concepts 
prepared by DUAC would be discussed in the forum at the inception to 
gain inputs and views of all the alliance partners.

The Group can also suggest and facilitate in sourcing of technical 
expertise to augment the existing resources of local bodies and 
developer agencies.

Delhi has been built and destroyed many times. It is our coordination 
that can help the city to develop into a world class metropolis. Let us 
work together in the direction of giving Delhi a face-lift.”

Earlier the Lt.Governor of Delhi, Shri B.L. Joshi, Chief Minister of 
Delhi Smt. Shiela Dixit, Secretary Union Urban Development Ministry Shri 
Anil Baijal and the Chairman of the Delhi Urban Art Commission, Mr. 
Charles Correa also spoke on the occasion.