Private players may be allowed to develop land

November 6, 2006	(Be the first to rate this story!)  Loading ...
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Proposal to let private players join agencies like DDA in land development under new Master Plan

The Central government is considering a proposal of Delhi Development Authority (DDA), currently lying with the Urban Development Ministry, to allow private players in land development of the Capital under the new Master Plan.

The DDA moved this proposal about six or seven months back to finalise this issue before taking a final decision for implementing the new Master Plan.

Land development in the Capital has so far been the job of agencies like the DDA, which is facing mounting criticism of its handling of Delhi’s town-planning requirements in the light of its burgeoning population.

Protesters opposing the court-ordered sealing drive, as also political parties like the BJP, accuse the DDA of failing to develop adequate number of marketplaces and residential buildings to meet requirements of a city whose population is nearing 1.5 crore. Sources in the Union Urban Development Ministry say public-private partnership in land development is one of the key proposals under consideration for incorporation in the new Master Plan, which is expected to be ready in January next year.

An official of the ministry said that this public-private partnership provision would mark a key shift from all previous master plans of Delhi. The Centre is also likely to introduce in the coming winter session of Parliament a real estate management bill aimed at regulating real estate business in the Capital.

The Bill, when passed, will also act as a model real estate law for states, with land being a state subject.

The Bill, sources say, seeks to put in place a mechanism to protect real-estate buyers from fraudulent selling techniques.

The government, the ministry official added, wanted to restrict, among other activities deemed fraudulent in real estate, pre-launch biddings.

“This is a consumer friendly legislation, which envisages setting up a regulatory body on real estate business to check fraud and bring in greater level of transparency”, he added.

With housing for the poor becoming a key area of concern in view of large-scale migration to Delhi from other states, the Centre is also laying stress on building more houses for economically weaker sections (EWSs).

Also, the ministry, which believes flyovers have not been able to resolve Delhi’s traffic woes adequately, is of the view that improving public transport system is key to tackling the problem.

Flyovers cannot alone smoothen the traffic, which get clogged at many intersections. The whole idea, rather, is to encourage car owners to use public transport. This can only be possible with an improved public transport system. The government, therefore, was keen to bring in a large fleet of low-floor ‘sleek’ buses and create adequate parking space in residential-cum-commercial zones of Delhi in public-private participation to resolve traffic problems, he said.

Source from Tribuneindia.com

News Published Under:   Delhi |

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