Petition regarding Master Plan

| Their Lordships, by their studious reading of the
| Law and the conditions precedent better satisfy themselves that
| Planners are not the cause of this "gradual slide into urban Chaos",
| also, precisely how is the scheme requested even practicable? Will
| their Lordships, as they have in other cases, satisfy themselves if
| the planning vocation is competent WRT the issues posed here? Also,
| will their lordships take notice of certain individual planning degree 
| holders masquerading as professionals in this country?
|
| We fail to see ho this is a plannerly issue! got this via the GREHA
| Archive,


 Dear Friend,

 Citizens of Delhi are painfully aware that the city is gradually 
sliding into a state of urban anarchy. Stranglehold of self serving 
interests has reduced the Master plan 2001 to a shamble. Not much is 
expected from the Master Plan 2021 either. Various official 
pronouncements indicate that the Master Plan 2021 will be an exercise in 
political expediency. Unless the Architects and Town Planners bring some 
sanity in the current turmoil by raising their collective voice, the 
city will gradually lapse into chaos.

 Please read the enclosed letter addressed to the Chief Justice of 
India carefully and if you agree, kindly convey your acceptance by 
e-mail as a signatory IMMEDIATELY on receipt of this message. Your reply 
should read : 'I agree to be a signatory to the letter dated 3-11-2006 
addressed to the Hon' able Chief Justice of India'. ............... name 
and CA No.
 The matter is most urgent.

 The letter is already signed by :

 1) Mr. Morad Chowdhary (CA/75/00969)
 2) Mr. Ram Sharma (CA/75/01113)
 3) Mr. Jogindar Khurana (CA/2000/26796)
 4) Mr. Ranjit Sabikhi (CA/75/00054)
 5) Mr. Shiban Ganjoo (CA/75/01952)
 6) Mr. Raj Rewal (CA/75/01217)
 7) Mr. Kuldip Singh (CA/75/00931)


 With warm regards,


 Kuldip Singh





 The Hon' able Chief Justice,
 Supreme Court of India.



 Your Lordship,

 Members of the Architectural and Planning professions are greatly 
perturbed at the ongoing turmoil in the city vis-à-vis the sealing of 
shops, the issue of notifications by the Government, threats and strikes 
by the traders, and various other attempts by interested parties to 
subvert the rule of law. There appears to be a concerted move by 
politicians of all shades, to opt for wholesale and irrational 
commercialization of the city in order to garner votes in the 
forthcoming elections. In order to buy peace the Ministry of Urban 
Development is trying to project the idea, that notification of the much 
awaited Master Plan 2021 will legalize all irregularities. It is also 
being suggested, that with the payment of annual charges of the DDA the 
Local Authority will acquire sufficient funds to augment the crumbling 
infrastructure. Such a formula is being touted as a panacea for the 
city's ills. Effectively however this is tailor made to perpetuate the 
all pervasive network of corruption which brought the city to its knees 
in the first place. Various acts of omission and commission of the 
Government and its agencies, viz. the Ministry of Urban Development, the 
DDA, MCD et al., show that the Government of the day has become an 
interested party in the disputes rather than a custodian of civic 
amenities for public good.  Your Lordship, a year ago the Delhi 
Development Authority released the Draft Master Plan 2021, which took 
several years to prepare. This plan neither recognized the ground 
realities nor provided a viable direction for the growth and development 
of the city. Utterly lacking in vision, and completely oblivious to the 
rampant illegal commercialization, all it did was to recommend 
additional commercialization of the city along the Metro corridors; a 
move totally in conflict with the spirit of the earlier Master Plans 
(1981 and 2001) that had conceived the District Centres as hub of 
commercial activities.

 Shortcomings in the Master Plan were inevitable as the preparation of 
the Master Plan was confined to the four walls of DDA and the Ministry 
of Urban Development, and public participation was scrupulously avoided. 
Such a system of plan formulation generally ensures that the politicians 
and bureaucrats overseeing the plan are able to routinely censure the 
technical inputs of official Town Planners, in order to fulfill their 
own agendas. This very plan, now under revision is likely to emerge with 
extensive compromises as the Master Plan 2021.

 There are several different ways in which the preparation of the 
Master Plan can be handled. The First Master Plan of Delhi (DMP 1981) 
was prepared by an independent group of professional Town Planners and 
Architects assisted by various Government departments. Their work was 
overseen and guided by an independent committee. Again, in 1986 the 
Government appointed the DUAC to prepare a Perspective Plan (M.P. 2001) 
with the help of government and Non-government professionals functioning 
in tandem, in an office insulated from the pressures of bureaucrats and 
politicians. A similar approach is needed at this juncture.

 In order to reconcile the large number of conflicting interests in the 
current scenario, and also with a view to project a 'Vision' of Delhi as 
a World Class City the range and quality of professional inputs need 
improvement.  We, therefore humbly pray that the Supreme Court

 a) Direct the Government to set up an independent agency comprising of 
private and Government Town Planners on the lines of the first Master 
Plan of Delhi to prepare Delhi Master Plan 2021.

 b) That the Supreme Court set up an Independent Committee to oversee 
the preparation and approval of the Master Plan 2021.

 c) That the exercise be conducted in a time bound manner.

 d) That the Supreme Court grant temporary relief to shopkeepers etc. 
till the finalization of the Master Plan while ensuring that further 
violations are absolutely prevented, and violations on public Lands be 
demolished forthwith. It is our belief that urgent intervention of the 
Supreme Court is both vital and necessary at this stage, in order to 
protect the long-term interests of the citizens of Delhi.


 We remain,

 Your faithfully,