Housing / Heritage

The business of Slumming Delhi, as chronicled in 2003 under a different regime: ...discourse is stuck in what I call the "endowment paradigm" ... 29 November 2002... High Court struck down the government's slum policy... directed... not to develop any more plots for clearing squatters and to clear them all expeditiously... Within the fortnight DDA had begun... in mid-winter. ... Non-government forums announced a rally ... a workshop ... MCD would appeal against the order... Delhi Government would also appeal ... Central Government would also appeal ... Prime Minister had assured two former PMs and senior Left leaders ... Delhi BJP president ... also ... ... evictions in inclement weather are acts of state that have no place in civilised societies... this has nothing to do with housing rights... violated not when people are evicted ...but when failures to house them in better ways force them to house themselves thus ...consensus amongst such unlikely bedfellows leaves people no choice on its content, only on who they might thank ... the endowment paradigm, consistently well illustrated by Delhi's slum policy... gifted to Delhi's slum-walas in 1990 ... VP Singh's tenure... In 2000, by when VP Singh himself was pointing out that the policy has failed, Delhi government magnanimously extended the cut-off date ... Central government magnanimously ruled that even those ineligible ... would get puny plots. MCD's Slum Wing ... executive arm for politicians and... NGOs desirous of becoming purveyors of favours. ... Every plot, every tap, every toilet, every school, every bus-route... every thing is dispensed with generous flavour of favour... spread beyond slums to make city politics - euphemistically called governance - stink. Rally calls exhorting slum walas to get organised for what our welfare state anyway owes them and bhagidari exhortations to RWAs to help with services that residents have already paid for are different yet identical You-Are-Here maps of where people have come to stand... in this politics of favours... the discourse is so stuck on a road to nowhere only because it is has been glued there by saviours so addicted to bestowing favours ... What we need to worry about is not rights per se, but that entitlements are being consistently denied and downsized by all who are in charge... the Plan did anticipate 4.25 lakh poor families ... by 2001... 4 lakh slum families as per the census... in slums only because statutory housing provisions have not been implemented... squatters cannot be simplistically characterised as encroachers ... that this view, far from being challenged, is being promoted by all lies at the root of slumming Delhi... Firstly... view that encroachers deserve at best sub-standard re-settlement ...abetting sub-standard housing... Secondly... view that encroachers must be confined in-situ... land stolen from the poor is land spared for unplanned infrastructure-stressing uses that breach carrying capacity... Thirdly... view of encroachers not deserving land has made the discourse futile since a land-less solution is impossible... ... Delhi could, like it is doing in the matter of industries, let its lawyers and judges grapple with the problem, while its intellectuals intellectualize it, bureaucrats bureaucratise it, NGOs internationalize it and politicians politicize it ... and let it drift to becoming intractable... Or Delhi could get back on track to planned equitable sustainable development ... Simply by ensuring that alternatives are carefully considered and do not downsize entitlements to cover up implementation lapses and land grab. Simply by insisting that the on-going Plan revision follows due process for sensible systematic assessments and for democratic public participation... Whatever Delhi does at this point will change its slumming trajectory. Whether the change will be for better or for worse is something for Delhi to decide... (Slumming Delhi, Talk, January 2003)

Slums are backlog on DMP housing for the poor, driven to protected or derelict space. NCMP references to social housing and renewal are in line with trends seeking to "open up" in DMP2021 this space, besides DMP space meant for the poor. But NCMP promise of no evictions and interpretations by President (of the verdict in terms of restoration of rule of law) and PM (of NCMP goals in terms of equity and efficiency) did lend NCMP to DMP convergent perspective on housing and heritage... but trendy choice in favour of "regularising" inequities and inefficiencies has been made.

In October 2004 housing-rights NGOs have urged for NDA draft national slum policy and environmental NGOs for NDA draft national environment policy that these documents of dubious origin, designed to substitute conflict-resolving and problem-solving law, be adjusted to NCMP. "Regularisation" of inequitable and inefficient unplanned development, anyway continuing uninteruppted and unprotested in form of unlawful evictions and unlawful projects, has been extended to conditional promises for industries and colonies - to spawn a highly divisive debate, which misses the point that these promises mean little and what The Great Regularisation Mela seeks to "regularize" is The Great Terrain Robbery and anarchy and atrophy and all else without which loot cannot happen.

Convergence opportunities ... missed / subverted

• 27.05.2004: News report about proposed demolition in Pushta: Letter to DDA Commissioner (Planning) to ask him to personally ensure no demolitions till clarifications about legality of demolitions already effected
• 27.05.2004: Letter to DDA VC from Rangpuri Pahari about tender for flats in the area, to seek options in them for their 50-year old settlements, as per recommendations of Planning Commission report on Delhi slums (2002), with reference also to reports of plans for Sultangarhi ridge area project, stopped by court in 2002, for which their eviction was attempted in 2000
• 27.05.2004: Letter to CM from Rajiv Gandhi Camp / Arjun Camp, in continuation of two that CMO had forwarded to DDA after demolition in 2003, to reiterate request for interim option pending disposal of court-case of 2002 seeking relocation from park to DMP housing site, encroached by Sahara Restaurant-Bar (CMO wrote DDA VC to consider within a week)
• 30.05.2004: News report of CM finding shortage only of crematoria in illegal sub-standard resettlement in Bawana
• 30.05.2004: Attempt to evict Pushta cultivators: Letter to Secretary MoUD, reiterating request for clarifications, asking about action on DMP violations and anti-DMP propaganda mentioned in letter forwarded by President on 11.02.04 and about assessment of riverbed encroachment clearance, enclosing a note on overall opportunities and imperatives of NCMP-DMP convergence.
• 02.06.2004: Request to DDA / MoUD from Lalkhet for "offer" as per NCMP-DMP, with reference to distribution on 31.05.04 of "offer-cum-demand" letters, with a view to evict for malls and biodiversity-park project (challenged in PIL of 2003), for illegal plots to a few in one of 6 camps of about 1000 families in old settlements
• 06.06.2004: Request for response to correspondence about Pushta in letter to DDA Commissioner (Planning) about NCMP-DMP opportunities arising from Supreme Court judgment on industries upholding DMP
• 07.06.2004: News report of foreign jaunts for illegal Games Village on riverbed: Letter to Secretary MoUD about illegality of expense, etc
• 08.06.2004: Letter to DST about its seismicity studies in walled city in view of likely convergence with DMP imperatives and consequent NCMP opportunities for reversing ad-hoc redevelopment trends, enclosing earlier publication on inner city renewal
• 11.06.2004: Letters about awards to DMP violating projects in ridge (Garden of 5 senses) and riverbed (Delhi Government Secretariat) given through President (to President to apologize, Council of Architecture to ask for investigation, to Secretary MoUD to ask for assessment of compliance of order of 2003 for riverbed encroachments as per decision to start with Pushta and for compliance of order of 2002 against Sultangarhi scheme in terms of inquiry
• 13.06.2004: Request from Lalkhet to DDA / MoUD for meeting, in view of activity of touts
• 16.06.2004: Letter from Rajiv Gandhi Camp / Arjun Camp to DDA VC to request response to CMO letter of 27.05.04 for consideration within a week (on copy, CMO issued reminder)
• 18.06.2004: Letter from President Secretariat saying communication of 11.06.04 had been forwarded to Secretary MoUD for appropriate action
• 18.06.2004: News report about Urban Development Minister on visit to DDA, desiring planned development of riverbed to be taken up on priority
• 19.06.2004: News report of New Delhi MP "coming to Pushta dwellers' rescue" with camp (at which 350 evictees were found eligible for relocation on second thoughts).
• 20.06.2004: News report of CM visit and assessment of Madanpur Khadar (illegal sub-standard resettlement, challenged in Arjun Camp case)
• 20.06.2004: News report about land allotment by Delhi Government to an environmental NGO in Asola Bhatti sanctuary
• 20.06.2004: Letter to Secretary MoUD for decided / directed assessments / inquiries against DMP violations in ridge and riverbed and for expediting zonal plans by due process (with copies to MoEF, MoT&C, DST, CGWA, CoA in continuation of previous letters)
• 26.06.2004: News report about LG (DDA Chairman) calling Metro pride-of-Capital after visit, including to Metro Depot on riverbed, despite Public Notice for DMP modification to allow it pending disposal
• 21.06.04: Request from Lalkhet to DDA / MoUD, with copy to political representatives / leaders, for legal "offer"
• 22.06.04: Letter from Nangal to DDA / MoCA to ask for resettlement as per demands since 1972 in view of eviction notice by Airport Authority, on heels of news reports of plans of tourism-estate near Airport
• 25.06.2004: Letter to thank PM for reference to planned development and equity and efficiency in plannerly terms in his address to the nation.
• 25.06.2004: News paper interview of DDA VC, speaking of camp-approach in slum resettlement, etc
• 27.06.2004: Letter to DDA / MoUD for details / clarifications about camp-approach
• 27.06.2004: Request for camp from 8 settlements in Nangal
• 27.06.2004: Request for camp from 6 settlements in Lalkhet
• 27.06.2004: Demand for camp-on-priority from Rajiv Gandhi Camp / Arjun Camp in view of not having been heard despite (1) drawing attention since 2002 to scamming in resettlement, (2) court order of 2002, (3) at hearing of Public Notice responses in 2003, (4) representation to Standing Parliamentary Committee, (5) four letters from CMO to DDA, etc
• 27.06.2004: Request for schedule-of-camps from resettlement areas
• 27.06.04: Request from MPISG convenor (housing) for joint-camp for groups engaging on DMP solutions, also since they were the ones to seek camps for purposes other than just eviction - in course of Pushta clearance, where the camp-approach was "piloted", in requests to authorities and, before elections, to now area MP
• 27.06.2004: News report about committee to prepare "Slum-free Master Plan" in 2 weeks
• 28.06.2004: Letter to request budget provisions for social housing are not diverted to options inferior to statutory solutions
• 28.06.2004: Letter from Lalkhet in view of verbal "notice" for demolition on 02.07.04 to say demolition would amount to forcible eviction in breach of NCMP (to DDA VC, with copy to Secretary MoUD, SHO, etc)
• 01.07.2004: Police complaint against illegal boring, etc, for illegal schemes "requiring" illegal evictions, requesting that police force for demolition be provided only against personal responsibility of officers, with specific mention of Lalkhet
• 02.07.2004: Urgent fax to PM to report imminent breach of NCMP, on suggestion received from PMO after calls to all NCMP-minders about preparations at Vasant Kunj Police Station for Lalkhet demolition (postponed for "administrative" reasons according to the police station staff)
• 04.07.2004: Joint Suggestion-cum-Demand for DMP housing solution** and stopping evictions in the mean time, from citizens groups in 20 ridge area slums with 5000 families on "anniversary" of demolition with which their 4-year long DMP efforts started
• 05.07.2004: NCMP-DMP Note-5 on DMP solutions for ridge-riverbed and housing, subversive policy of recent years, inertial initiatives, and minimum accountability imperatives in view of NCMP
• 05.07.2004: Letters accompanying NCMP-DMP note (to Commissioner (Planning) DDA to object to Slum-free Master Plan Committee, to DDA VC to draw the committee's attention DMP provisions for slum-freedom, to Secretary MoUD to convert requests about ridge and riverbed to s.41(3) applications for investigation of legality and propriety of decisions, to LG / DDA Chairman to request meeting, with request to all for intervention to prevent demolition in Lalkhet)
• 06.07.2004: Offer-cum-demand for initiative against government encroachment on public land equaling CVC's reported initiative against encroachment on government land (to CVC, with copies to other Commissions, CBI and Parliamentary Committee in continuation of previous letters)
• 06.07.2004: News report of deaths, including of children, in Bawana
• 07.07.2004: Demand for clarification of legality of resettlement and response to requests for legal relocation options by those facing banishment to Bawana from Lalkhet in letter to DDA VC and others
• 08.07.2004: Demolition without notice in Masudpur Harijan Basti affecting also those evicted in 2003 from Arjun Camp (in whose court case DDA VC has said on affidavit, while conceding that mandatory DMP housing for the poor has not been developed, that the poor can live in urban villages): Letters to report NCMP breach, with pictures of illegal boring and club construction on adjoining site in same DMP park cleared of slum in 2003 and adjoining the village-basti cleared in 2004, etc (The club is bhagidari-choice proposal and out of bhagidari-fund-honorarium has been taken by one flat-owner for basti-clearance)
• 09.07.2004: Start of Pushta-like camp in Lal Khet and of illegal boring for Malls: Letter, with pictures, to Secretary MoUD and others.
• 13.07.2004: News report about NGO petition to court-appointed Empowered Committee to declare Lal Khet area (excepting 92 Ha for mall, etc) forest
• 20.07.2004: Letter to CEC (with copy to all 7 respondent authorities and LG) to point out existing DMP / CGWA protections, matter being sub-judice in PIL based on efforts of local citizens groups since 2000, etc, and the NGOs being, besides indifferent to violations of existing protections, responsible for getting 92 Ha of the site released from purview of DMP in their earlier PIL
• 21.07.2004: Letter to LG with reference to news report about plans for Sultangarhi, to request compliance of court order of 16.09.02 for inquiry to prevent identical illegalities, information of outcome of Public Notice by which 1700 families objected to it, and directions against Malls/Park (involving identical illegalities), enclosing letter to CEC
• 23.07.2004: Letter to Secretary MoUD with pictures of three more boring rigs and earthwork machines on Malls site, and picture of willful NDA government riverfront scheme calling for Pushta clearance appearing in a newspaper as UPA scheme for riverfront, etc
• 26.07.2004: (reported date of CEC hearing of NGO petition) Informal / verbal "notice" given in the evening in Lal Khet for demolition on 29 July : Letter enumerating statutory / judicial / parliamentary processes, besides NCMP promise / pledge, that demolition would frustrate
• 27.07.2004: Open Letter about imminent willful dispossession for willful development
• 27.07.2004: [Prose] NCMP subversion:MALLS on RIDGE / PARK on POOR | The case against unplanned development in general | The case against the unplanned scheme in Lalkhet area | The case against unplanned resettlement | The pursuit of planned development (and indifference thereto)
• 28.07.2004: After late evening summary demolition of small school near Sultangarhi on 27.07.04, letter to DCP (with copy to LG, CEC, CVC, MoUD secy, DDA VC, Police Commissioner), and unsuccessful efforts of children from the school and from Lalkhet to meet "someone" (mail-list post)
• 28.07.2004: NCMP subversion: Dispossession on riverbed: news report about 800 homes having been demolished in Pushta on 27.07.04
• 29.07.2004: [Prose] NCMP subversion: Dispossession in ridge: Lalkhet demolition looked a lot like Pushta demolitions, though people burst briefly the war-bubble with decision to "co-operate" to prevent breach of NCMP promise of forcible eviction - account of "dignified dispossession" oxymoron...
• 30.07.2004: Letter from President's Secretariat to say communication of 27.07.04 had been forwarded to Secretary MoUD for appropriate action
• 03.08.2004: Letter from President's Secretariat to say communication of 28.07.04 had been forwarded to Secretary MoUD for appropriate action
• 03.08.2004: News report about plans for Safdarjang Airport area, as in 2003 (previous post)
• 04.08.2004: DDA counsel claimed in High Court that Supreme Court had allowed Malls and boring : Letter to Empowered Committee (with copy to Respondents and several others) for hearing and to report start of earthwork on Malls site.
• 04.08.2004: News report about High Court seeking status report on Pushta clearance in 2 weeks: Letter for response to s.41(3) applications about ridge and riverbed
• 06.08.2004: News report about Supreme Court appointed committee for the river under Secretary MoUD
• 06.08.2004: News report about riverbed ground water potential in context of Games Village
• 07.08.2004: News report about return of team from foreign jaunt for Games Village etc
• 07.08.2004: News report about GNCTD-NGO plan for action-plan for river pollution
• 07.08.2004: News report about Supreme Court committee for Red Fort
• 09.08.2004: News report on views of NGOs that had petitioned CEC, referring to CEC directions, draft report of their experts, etc
• 10.08.2004: News report about Supreme Court issuing notice in PIL against Akshardham Temple (discussion in mpisgmedia posts)
• 10.08.2004: [Prose] (Imminent) NCMP subversion: Riverbed: Yamuna riverbed has come suddenly alive in courts (and hence in media, with politics likely to follow). Illegal dispossession for illegal development on it has also lately resumed. The two might be unconnected. Or government might be inertially poised to secure judicial endorsement for more riverbed shenanigans...
• 11.08.2004: News reports about foreign-jaunt-inspired global plans and Akshardham-PIL-inspired trepidation about Games Village
• 12.08.2004: Request to River Committee to consider DMP solutions as a starting point / yardstick for evaluating alternatives and for response on related matters
• 13.08.2004: News report about study trip to Athens for Games
• 14.08.2004: News report of LG saying if the court orders there is time to shift Games Village site
• 15.08.2004: News reports about riverbed plans, referring to zonal plan submitted by DDA to MoUD and quoting LG leaving the decision about Games Village to Supreme Court to make (in Akshardham PIL)
• 16.08.2004: News report: DDA hires Home Guards to prevent (slum) encroachment on riverbed
• 16.08.2004: Rajya Sabha told of plans for housing the poor through NGOs: PIB Press Release
• 17.08.2004: News report about LG visit to riverbed Biodiversity Park, saying also that CEC had "cleared" the ridge Biodiversity Park: eml to request clarification from the editor
• 23.08.2004: News report about NGOs making making furore about lack of participation, accountability, etc, in clearances to riverbed violations (Akshardham, not Biodiversity Park or Metro Property Development)
• 24.08.2004: News report about riverbed Biodiversity Park / up-market project 2 km from it (approval in principle to a project for golf course, hotels, shopping arcade, mall, food court, cinemaplex and entertainment centre, etc)
• 25.08.2004: News report about transport plans to improve accessibility to Games village
• 25.08.2004: Resumption on work on Sultangarhi ridge project: Letter to Secretary MoUD and LG to ask yet again for s.41 directions for stoppage and inquiry in compliance of court order of 2002, etc
• 26.08.2004: News report of NGO PIL about farmhouse-party-regularisation-policy on grounds other than robust ones available in DMP / DDA Act (objection and suggestion, February 2004)
• 26.08.2004: Letter from OSD to National Advisory Council saying letter of 28.07.04 about school and Lalkhet demolitions has been forwarded to PS to Urban Development Minister
• 26.08.2004: News report: Sheila wants Asian Haat at Safdarjung airport
• 27.08.2004: News report about GNCT water sports / adventure tourism plans
• 27.08.2004: News report about DDA presentation to LG and CM of new Master Plan (slum-free, beggar-free, priority for environment / heritage conservation, focus on transport infrastructure, etc)
• 27.08.2004: Obfuscation of DMP status of Secretariat by former Commissioner (Planning) in charge of writing DMP2001 in public-letter to Secretary MoUD in defence of architectural Award given through President to it and also to one of his firm's projects by Indian Building Congress (of which Secretary MoUD is patron, present Commissioner (Planning) is Vice-President, etc)
• 01.09.2004: News reports about Group of Ministers for Games and Red Fort committee meeting
• 01.09.2004: Letter to Secretary MoEF (with copy to respondents in PIL and LG / DDA Chairman) seeking clarification of EIA requirements of ridge area projects covered by MPISG PIL, with reference to amendment of 07.07.04 to EIA notification of 1994
• 05.09.2004: Promotional news reports about Lalkhet-VasantKunj Malls, Garden of 5 senses, and Safdarjang plans
• 05.09.2004: News story quoting unqualified "experts" to utterly obfuscate DMP levels, etc, to bracket Pushta evictions and Sainik farms demolitions, building violations and DMP allocation distortions, etc
• 06.09.2004: Letter to Secretary MoEF seeking clarification about EIA clearance of ridge and riverbed projects, with reference to Draft National Environment Policy (up for comment) and to a news report about NGO "criticism" (to call for greater participation, etc).
• 06.09.2004: Letter from Central vigilance Commission saying MPISG letter of 07.07.2004 (about Bawana deaths, etc) has been forwarded to CVO DDA
• 11.09.2004: News report about housing-rights NGOs reporting against Government of India to a UN Committee
• 12.09.2004: News report about Outer Delhi MP asking union minister of state for urban development for "helping hand" for resettlement colonies, with legality of resettlement challenged in both High court and Supreme Court and subject also of letter forwarded by CVC.
• 14.09.2004: News report about problems with design competition for another park
• 14.09.2004: News report: Trade Fair may be shifted to Mehrauli (ridge area)
• 15.09.2004: News reports about Games (3000 crores, British firm to advise)
• 15.09.2004: Request for clarification about EIA reiterated in copy to Secretary MoEF of letter to Commissioner (Planning) with reference to Delhi government's views of illegality and environment apropos industries, with its own Secretariat non-conforming and its projects challenged in court for DMP and environment law violations.
• 17.09.2004: News report: NDA land deals: Azad wants no construction till inquiry (of a few institutional plots, nothing compared to the Great Terrain Robbery on housing and heritage space)
• 17.09.2004: News report: RWAs to get 25 monuments for care
• 18.09.2004: e-mail to response id for comment on draft national environment policy to request text in html or doc format for ease in commenting and names of development planning experts involved to be able to discuss concerns about no reference in DNEP to planning and development law and its subversion.
• 22.09.2004: High Court issued notice to respondents to file reply, and advised petitioner to write to them about further illegalities, in the PIL against DMP violating projects in ridge area, filed and first heard in December 2003, on sixth hearing (delay entirely on basis of Supreme Court PIL based on NGO ideas)
• 23.09.2004: Letter about illegalities on the sites covered by the PIL to Respondents and others
• 27.09.2004: Housing-rights NGOs Habitat-Day-demand to adapt to UPA's NCMP NDA's draft national slum policy, recurrently surfacing in the discourse since 1999 despite being obvious attempt to substitute robust development law to disconnect solutions for the poor from integrated solutions for all: | News report | UNCHS announcement | NGO announcement | January statement by professionals against the endowment-paradigm content of their WSF-2004-event, included in communication forwarded by President's Secretariat on 11.02.04
• 04.10.2004: News report about national housing rights event participants' solidarity with NGO trying to keep control over children / night shelter space given to them to temporarily run.
• 04.10.2004: End of 4-day NGO national habitat event: Pictures
• 07.10.2004: News report about dalit / human / housing rights presence at the housing-rights event
• 09.10.2004: web-media story about "the cause", reducing to anti-eviction plea the right-to-shelter and claiming that "Under the upa government, the demolition drives have stopped" (regardless, besides of all the above, eviction-surveys in Pushta during their event) .
• 12.10.2004: News report: Supreme Court refuses stay in Akshardham PIL (on government's plea of it being at advanced stage of construction and there being no land use violation)
• 13.10.2004: MPISG groups began filing responses to s.11A Public Notice of 18.09.04 for "regularizing" metro IT Park to raise objections to unlawful development (with unlawful evictions / resettlement) especially in ridge-riverbed
• 14.10.2004: News report about night-shelter NGOs not vacating NDMC space
• 15.10.2004: News report about the housing rights event promoters meeting PM and NAC chairperson to urge, with reference to Pushta evictions, that women's shelter homes not be demolished.
• 15.10.2004: News report about ideas for regularisation of unauthorised colonies
• 15.10.2004: News report about co-opting school students into bio-diversity promotion (questions raised in letter of 07.07.07 about Pushta and Lal Khet children evicted to Bawana for biodiversity promotion in bhagidari with other children still waiting answers, despite having been forwarded by three high-offices)
• 17.10.2004: Environmental NGOs joint-demand to adapt NDA's draft national environment policy to NCMP, rather than to scrap the document of dubious need and basis
• 18.10.2004: News report: Games centred "vision" of Delhi-2010 (limited to list of current problems, quoting "experts" that have been airing anti-DMP views for long now speaking of implementation failure without pointing out areas for rectification)
• 21.10.2004: News reports about plans for Games / Delhi by civic authorities and in corporate bhagidari
• 22.10.2004: News report about infrastructure, especially water, for Games
• 22.10.2004: News report about plan to bring out Public Notice to start process for regularisation of unauthorised colonies
• 23.10.2004: News reports about GoM meeting for Games (saying that court's refusal to stay Akshardham cleared doubts about site of Games village) and Biodiversity Parks (saying the ridge Biodiversity Park would be open to public in a year's time)
• 23.10.2004: Follow-up to s.11A responses to Public Notice for metro IT Park be considered doubts about Games Village not cleared by Supreme Court order in yet to be disposed off Akshardhan PIL and standing since the judgment of 2002 in the Sultangarhi PIL etc.
• 24.10.2004: Letter about continuing illegalities on the sites covered by the PIL in continuation of letter of 23.09.04 purusant to the Court issuing notice on 22.09.04
• 26.10.2004: News report about GoM meeting for Games and UDM call for Green NCR
• 26.10.2004: Comment on draft National Environment Policy in attempt to draw attention to the conflict-resolving / problem-solving options available under development law and dangers of policy / discourse that disregards / condones their subversion
• 27.10.2004: News report about MNCs having "begun vying for space" in Metro IT Park likely to "become operational by the end of the year"
• 28.10.2004: News reports about more MoEF funds for Yamuna Action Plan and about more unplanned projects to stress the river (and reiteration of need for NDA’s so-called guidelines for DMP2021 on TV program about regularisation of industries)
• 29.10.2004: Left demand for whole-hearted regularisation reported (industries)
• 30.10.2004: Decision for whole-hearted regularisation of unauthorized colonies reported
• 31.10.2004: News report of property price boom because of Metro, multiplexes and malls, the Commonwealth Games, the entry of NRIs into real estate business and liberalisation in land disposal rules...

NCMP-DMP MINDER (HOUSING / HERITAGE) SUSPENDED

Links to previous posts, etc

Slumming Delhi (Talk), January 2003

Entitlements at risk DMP2021 Minder / Track / Entitlements - Housing, Carrying capacity based sustainable development, Conservation and integration for continuity (up to August 2003)

Sultangarhi case against illegal scheme in ridge area for which part of 50-year old settlement was demolished and which High Court ordered stopped and inquired into 2002 (chronicle up to June 2003)

Arjun Camp cases, against misuse of sites and stock meant for DMP housing for the poor and for housing as per DMP instead of in illegal sub-standard resettlement, waiting final disposal, with order of November 2003 connecting the slum problem to its DMP housing solution

Mehrauli-Mahipalpur PIL against unplanned development jeopardizing DMP entitlements of old communities in ridge area, in which the state is clearly deploying adversarial dilatory tactics while making the matter infructuous with evictions, as in Lal Khet (filed December 2003)

Letter to Standing Parliamentary Committee, President and Chief Justice about DMP violations with reference to statement against / call for public debate about so-called Housing Rights Event at World Social Forum 2004 at Mumbai, January 2004 (forwarded to Secretary MoUD for appropriate action as per letter of 11.02.04 from President Secretariat)

Pushta SLP (with additional affidavit about the first dispossession and the illegal resettlement of some in Holambi Kalan), dismissed without hearing, 15 March 2004

Pushta dispossession accounts on mpisgmedia mail-list (January-May 2004)

suggestion to demolish Metro Depot, etc, made since High Court order of March 2003 for all riverbed encroachments, reiterated in response to s.11A Public Notices for metro property development in 2004

• Old Index Page NCMP-DMP Minder (Housing / Heritage)