NEW DELHI: 'Special Area' status has done little for the lakhs of residents and traders of Shahjahanabad, Sadar Bazaar, Karol Bagh and Paharganj. The redevelopment plan for the area, proposed in Master Plan for Delhi-2021 in 2007, is still on paper.

The erstwhile Municipal Corporation of Delhi had prepared a special area plan that proposed common redevelopment of the entire area. But experts and Delhi Development Authority (DDA) officials say it cannot be implemented as it ignores ground realities related to the Walled City. "Shahjahanabad can't be clubbed with other areas like Sadar-Paharganj. The building by-laws for this area have to be different. The area has to be developed sensitively and the heritage character has to be retained," said A G K Menon, convener of Intach's Delhi chapter.

There was a proposal to widen the roads for fire safety. Heritage conservationists say this will destroy the basic character of the area. "Widening means demolishing the facade. The plan didn't have any practical solution for redevelopment," said Menon.

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Urban planners say redeveloping the special areas is a complex issue. Besides the lack of planning, legal issues related to Delhi Rent Act and Slum Area (improvement and clearance) Act, 1956 also pose problems. "Shahjahanabad has been notified as a slum. So, no construction or demolition is permitted in the area. Any development work can start only after the area is de-notified as a slum," said P S N Rao, DUAC chairperson and professor at School of Planning and Architecture.

Tenancy is also an issue as most of the properties in the special area are governed by Delhi Rent Act. "How will redevelopment happen when people don't have ownership rights? This is going to be the main roadblock in the redevelopment plan,'' said Rao.

But this hasn't stopped DDA from preparing new special area plans for Karol Bagh, Sadar Bazaar and Paharganj. It plans to divide the area as per the ground situation and prepare layouts. Officials say the planning will be guided by local requirements. Most of the areas are commercial.

To encourage the residents to participate in the redevelopment project, the authority plans to give additional floor area ratio (FAR) and allow 15-metre high buildings. In the absence of a development plan, rampant unauthorized construction has taken place. "We plan to give additional FAR to property owners to encourage them to make use of the redevelopment scheme," said a senior official.