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Foreign trips for Games Village on riverbed, 04.06.07

by admin — last modified 2005-11-21 03:08 — expired

Letter to Secretary MoUD about illegality of expense, with request for assessment of clearance of riverbed encroachments, action on letter forwarded on 11.02.04 by President, etc, and, in general, compliance of court orders in ways that reinforce, rather than undermine, public confidence in law, courts and commitments of government

Secretary, MoUD

Nirman Bhawan, New Delhi – 110011

Sub: Request re compliance of court orders by authorities in ways that reinforce, rather than undermine, public confidence in law, courts and commitments of government

Ref: Riverbed encroachments, Supreme Court judgment for industries and news report titled Down Under trip for DDA babus in The Hindustan Times, 07.06.04

Dear Sir, As per the news report under reference, senior DDA officials are to go abroad for a study trip for “Commonwealth Games village planned on the banks of Yamuna”. Since this is ‘planned’ in violation of Delhi Master Plan, public expenditure on study trips for develping it would be illegal under s.22(2) of Delhi Development Act, 1957. The idea also appears ‘opportunistic’ in the context of Pushta clearance and the judgment for industries – a matter that has become connected to the river / riverbed. For DDA to be applying itself not to full compliance of High Court order of 03.03.03 for clearance of ALL riverbed encroachments after itself clearing Pushta, nor to ensuring time-bound allotment of Master Plan industrial space to ensure smooth compliance of Supreme Court directions for closure of all non-conforming industries in 18 months despite being appointed to Monitoring Committee, but to planning foreign trips for projects illegally planned on riverbed is bound to undermine public confidence in planning law and courts and, through disregard of NCMP commitments, also government.

Especially since the Supreme Court judgement has clearly upheld Master Plan processes, I request of you the following:

  1. Consideration of the enclosed note (in continuation of my NCMP-DMP note of 30.05.04) that I have sent to members of the Monitoring Committee for industries.
  2. Request (in continuation of letters of 24.04.04 and 30.05.04) to be associated as expert on Pushta clearance assessment to be made as per decision of 03.01.04
  3. Response to my letter of 22.01.04, forwarded to you by President’s Secretariat (vide No.P1/B-221312 of 11.02.04).

I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours sincerely

Gita Dewan Verma / Planner

B.Arch (SPA, gold medalist); M.Planning (SPA, gold medalist); PG Dip-Research (IHS-Rotterdam, top rank); Dip-Training (DoPT)

Formerly: Senior Fellow (HUDCO-HSMI), Visiting Faculty (SPA, TVB SHS), Consultant (DfID, IHSP, Nuffic, UNICEF, etc)

Currently: Independent researcher / writer and consultant to citizens’ groups synergising on Master Plan Implementation Support Group