Thaindian News

New Delhi, Dec 12 (IANS) The Lok Sabha Monday passed the National Capital Territory of Delhi Laws (Special Provisions) Second Bill 2011 which extends for another three years the special provisions for review of the Master Plan for Delhi, 2021 amid concern by members over implementation of the master plan and housing for the poor.

The bill was introduced by Urban Development Minister Kamal Nath.

The national capital celebrated its 100 birth anniversary Monday. It was on Dec 12, 1911 that Delhi was proclaimed as the new capital of India at the Delhi Durbar and the capital shifted from Kolkata (then Calcutta) to Delhi.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Shahnawaz Hussain said the government had sought an extension of one year in 2010 and again wanted an extension for three years for the master plan implementation.

“There are many shortcomings in the MPD,” he said.

He charged that while the government does not construct enough houses to meet the growing demand, it allows unauthorised settlements and then discusses ways to authorise them in the house.

He further said that around 20-25 percent population of the city lives in unauthorised colonies.

Asking the status of government’s announcement to regularise the unauthorised colonies, Hussain said houses built by DDA for economic weaker sections of society are selling for crores of rupees today and are beyond the means of the beneficiaries.

Congress MP from east Delhi Sandeep Dikshit, who is the son of Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, too asked the minister about the status of implementation of the master plan.

He said DDA has not constructed a single house for the economically weaker sections under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission in the past four years.

Samajwadi Party member Shailendra Kumar said Delhi should be given the status of a state.

Kamal Nath said the bill was required as the population of the city increased 100 percent from what it was in 1980. Nath said the city added 74 lakh people to its population in the past two decades and this requires sufficient planning.

“The revised MPD 2021 would not only cover unauthorized colonies, villages, the village-abadi areas, but the whole of the National Capital Territory of Delhi,” said Nath adding: “It is expedient to introduce a legal framework to ensure that no hardship is imposed on people until the revision of the Master Plan is completed, besides facilitating its smooth implementation on the ground.”

Earlier, stating that Delhi has emerged as the largest metropolis by area and the second largest by population in the country, Speaker Meira Kumar remarked that the city is not only one of the greenest capitals in the world but also boasts of world class infrastructure and many heritage buildings.