Letters wrt report on Games Village, 23.10.04
from MPISG to ask for responses to IT Park Public Notice to be considered also “doubts” about the Games Village and their disposal to be expedited so as not to delay decisions for Games Village or mar it with any “controversy
MASTER PLAN IMPLEMENTATION SUPPORT GROUP
A synergy platform of citizens' groups with legitimate stakes in benefits of planned development
Secretary MoUD Nirman Bhawan, New Delhi – 110011
Sub: s.11A Public Notice of 18.09.2004 for Metro IT Park
Sir,
MPISG Convenors for Villages, Housing, Livelihood and Education and MPISG Planner (myself, in individual capacity) and individuals / groups / organizations synergizing on/with MPISG have responded to the Public Notice under reference.
Today a news item (‘Manmohan, GoM get cracking with the Games’, Daily Pioneer) says, “Supreme Court's refusal to grant stay on the construction of the Akshardham temple on the Yamuna river bed cleared all doubts about the location of Games village”.
We are unable to see how the court’s refusal to stay construction on already built Temple (for which Master Plan land use was reportedly changed by due process) can possibly amount to “clearance” for a project on which only basic site work has been done, without due process for change of land use.
We believe that Games Village on riverbed – like IT Park – is “identical illegality” of the type against which there is clear High Court judgment of 16.09.02 (in WP 4978/2002 about Sultangarhi project that was started without mandatory s.11A Public Notice, etc) as well as High Court order of 03.03.03 (about all riverbed encroachments). To the best of our knowledge, these High Court orders have not been quashed in the proceedings in the Akshardham PIL, nor have statutory provisions for Zonal Plan preparation u/s.8-10 and Plan modification by s.11A of DD Act, 1957 been repealed.
Insistence on siting the Games Village on the riverbed (even as there are other suitable sites for it) in name of court marks an unfortunate pick-and-choose propensity about court orders and also an unfortunate contempt of the statutory Public Notice process in general and, in particular, in view of coincident Public Notice of 18.09.04 for IT Park on riverbed, objections and suggestions in response to which, we believe, would largely apply also to the proposal for Games Village on riverbed.
Accordingly, we request that:
(1) responses received to IT Park Public Notice be considered also “doubts” about the proposal for locating the Games Village on riverbed, requiring clearing in spirit of s.11A
(2) disposal of IT Park Public Notice be expedited with utmost urgency and with full transparency so as not to delay decisions for Games Village / mar it with any “controversy”
We hope you will treat our request with seriousness. Thanking you,
Yours sincerely
Gita Dewan Verma, MPISG Planner
cc:
- Commissioner (Planning), DDA, Vikas Minar, N Delhi – 110002 (for favour of addition to responses to Public Notice under reference)
- Principal Secretary to PM, PMO, South Block, N Delhi - 110011 (for information, wrt to news report referred above)
To support planned development. To oppose unplanned development. To protect our future.