Parliamentary panel seeks details on status of Master Plan of Delhi-2021

A parliamentary panel has sought in detail the current status of the implementation of the Master Plan of Delhi-2021, outlining achievements, failures or delays.

In a report presented to the Lok Sabha, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) asked the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs and the DDA to furnish various details.

The committee, in its original report on the subject, had desired that the "high-level committee" of the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) meet at periodic intervals for reviewing, monitoring and managing the master plan, so as to enable achieving the targets, the parliamentary panel said.

The panel feels "concerned to note" from the action taken report that the "ministry has failed to acknowledge and act upon the recommendations of the committee", which would serve as an impetus for achieving the envisaged targets of the MPD-2021, it said.

The panel has sought in detail the current status of the implementation of Master Plan of Delhi-2021, outlining achievements, failures or delays, along with explanatory notes, the report said.

In December 2018, the panel had pulled up the DDA for its "failure" in monitoring the progress of city infrastructure under the master plan and asked for setting up a monitoring unit.

In a report presented to the Lok Sabha on the Acquisition and Development of Land by DDA, the Public Accounts Committee had then asked the Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry and the DDA to set short and long-term milestones to achieve the targets set out in the master plan.

The committee, therefore, recommend the Ministry/DDA to set up a monitoring unit immediately with members from the Master Plan and Policy Review Unit (MPPR), Master Plan Review Unit (MPRU) and the Master Plan Section for coordination, which would be able to pinpoint deficiencies in implementation and take corrective actions to achieve the targets effectively, it had then said.