Click to play videoNew Delhi: As the Urban Development Ministry readies itself to present Masterplan 2021 for Delhi, many like RK Setia say that the masterplan does not hold any promises for the citizens of Delhi.
Setia is a resident of Lajpat Nagar Part 2, a residential colony in the heart of the Capital. It was the peace and quiet of this residential colony that made him buy a house here 47 years ago.
Today, he is a dissappointed man. Chaotic traffic, congestion, poor garbage disposal and inferior infrastructure have changed the face of this colony.
He blames the mushrooming commercial establishments for this mess. "I blame the commercialisation for this mess,'' he says.
When the Supreme Court stepped in to check the growth of commercial establishments in residential areas last year, Setia was hopeful that things would finally improve.
But the forthcoming masterplan has put an end to that. By allowing mixed land use, the Government may have saved the day for the traders here, but it's residents like Setia who feel cheated.
"Ammending the Masterplan 2021, which is otherwise a boom for commercialisation, is a complete setback for the residents who have been living here for the past so many years," says Setia.
While most town planners agree that mixed land use is the need for modern cities, they say it can only be successful if there is adequate infrastructure development and judicious use of public space to support it.
When we talk of quality of life, there is much more to it than mixed use. It's about the safety of the streets and the insanitary conditions of our cities, for which we need proper planning. This plan does not take care of the peripheries," says Director of Nation Institute of Urban Affairs, Dr Shreekant Gupta.
A Goverment plan should be aimed at providing a good quality of life to the people as it is the basic need for every citizen.
If Masterplan 2021 does not take care of this issue, maybe it's time for the Government planners to go back to the drafting table.
(For updates you can share with your friends, follow IBNLive on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Pinterest)
More on IBNLive Right Now
TOP NEWS
MOST SHARED
PHOTOGALLERY
