Secretary, MoUD, GoI

Nirman Bhawan, New Delhi – 110011

Sub: Request for clarification of how purpose of land acquisition in Notices appearing in newspapers on 07 and 08 March 2003 is consistent with statutory Master Plan, etc

Sir,

I am writing to you apropos three land acquisition notices issued by Land & Building Department, Govt. of NCT of Delhi to seek clarification about consistency of the purposes mentioned therein with the statutory Master Plan for Delhi, of which MoUD is custodian.

  1. Two of these notices are for acquisition of old developed properties in Patel Nagar (Hindustan Times, 08.03.03, p.7 and p.17). The public purpose specified in both is “MRTS Station etc”. Use of “etc” in this phrase raises a doubt in view of ongoing, and in my opinion illegal and unjustifiable in terms of sensible planning, property development at MRTS stations. I have expressed my reservations about such development in my objection in response to Public Notice of 16.12.02, mentioned in my letters of 20.02.03 and 25.02.03, to which I await response. I would be grateful if you would clarify that the “etc” in the notices under reference will not permit commercial development. In general I think it fair that public, amidst expanding ‘education’ initiatives for public benefit at public cost by DMRC (of which also MoUD is nodal ministry), should at least be informed of existence, if not implications, of Public Notices and plans for non-transport ‘development’ relating to the Metro.
  2. The third notice (No. F 11(24)/98/LBD/LA/19349 dt. 4/3/2003 in Hindustan, 07.03.03, p.7) is for acquisition of 744 bighas of land in Bhalaswa. The purpose stated is ‘resettlement of JJ clusters’. As mentioned in my earlier letters, in WP 5007 & 5009/2002 legality of resettlement has been challenged in relation to provisions of the Master Plan and Delhi Development Act. In a different matter the court order of 29.11.2002 struck down Delhi’s slum resettlement policy. I request clarification about legality of this notice since it appears to be for development contrary to the Master Plan as well as court orders. Since the Notice invites objections, I also think it fair that public be informed about the court’s view as well as the contentions of WP 5007 & 5009/2002 about the public purpose for which land acquisition is proposed through this notice.

Also, in continuation of my letter of 07.03.03 about the court’s recent orders regarding encroachment on/along the Yamuna, I seek comment on my suggestion in para-5 therein and information about government’s plans to secure compliance of court orders and request confirmation of the following:

(a) Yamuna Pushta has 75000 families and these occupy about 100 Ha of net area
(b) 4.25 lakh EWS plots have not been developed as per Master Plan and ‘models’ proposed by MCD and others for Pushta are all violative of the Master Plan and also not permissible by the Court order of November 2002
(c) existing land use of 52 Ha occupied by Metro Depot is riverbed / green
(d) Metro Depot is a footloose use that could have been located anywhere on the Metro network
(e) Zonal Plan for O-Zone has not been approved, making all schemes/approvals by DDA and other authorities of MoUD in it illegal under s.6 (read with s.7 and s.8) for not being embedded in Zonal Plan / Master Plan.

Yours sincerely

sd/-

Gita Dewan Verma

cc: PS to Chief Minister, in continuation of letter of 07.03.03 referred above