From: [email protected] To: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/Draft-development-plan-has-no-room-for-low-cost-homes-open-spaces-say-experts/articleshow/46681654.cms
EXPERTS UPSET -
`Draft devpt plan has no room for low-cost homes, open spaces'
Mumbai:
Suggestions to create more
affordable houses and open spaces have not been accommodated while
preparing the city's draft development plan (DP) 2034, alleged former
Rajya Sabha member and actor Shabana Azmi, and architect P K Das.
“We had submitted a detailed plan to create more open spaces and
affordable houses during the preparation of the DP . But it has not been
considered. Since every political par
ty, activist, builder is opposing the DP , it should be thrown into the
dustbin,“ said Azmi.
She was speaking at an interactive
programme organized by the city unit of the Congress to decode the DP
for the common man with the help of experts. The party is attempting to
mobilize support over the issue. “We wanted to simplify and understand
the DP . We are also requesting people to send their suggestions to the
government to reject the DP ,“ said city Congress president Sanjay
Nirupam.
Das said it was not possible for anyone to study the lengthy DP within
60 days and give suggestions or objections to the government, so one
should look for some basic points in the DP to understand if it is
trying to address those problems.“We must all have affordable houses,
good easily accessible schools, hospitals and open spaces for a healthy
environment. The DP is not addressing these issues so we are opposing
it.Affordable housing is a big issue, but there is no separate chapter
on it in the DP,“ he said.
Das claimed the planner wanted to
minimize open spaces after de-reserving them in the draft DP. He said
the Sahara land at Goregaon is a no-development zone as it touches Malad
creek and falls under the coastal regulation zone but is marked for
residentialcommercial purpose under the draft DP .
Other
experts said the draft DP will stop development and make houses
unaffordable. Azmi and Das said they had suggested that open spaces
could be doubled over the last DP plan and 15 lakh affordable houses
constructed across the city but their suggestions were not considered in
the draft DP .
