Development plan: let citizens have a say from beginning to end,say ex-civic chiefs

Under the MRTP Act (1966),it is obligatory on the BMC to invite suggestions and objections from the general public once the draft is prepared. However,citizens’ groups feel that exercise at the fag end of the whole process often ends up as sheer tokenism and fails to be participatory in the real sense of the term.

The letter further states that the research organization Urban Design Research Institute (UDRI) has already drawn up a list of expert stakeholders including citizens’ groups,NGOs,ALMs who can be roped in for the process. UDRI executive director Pankaj Joshi has proposed that in partnership with these organization,free workshops can be hosted at BMC ward offices or schools to ensure more ground level public involvement.

“I fully agree that the process should be participatory and we will ensure that it is transparent. But at what stage should public participation come in,is something that our technical advisory committee would decide,” said Municipal Commissioner Swadeen Kshatriya. The technical committee consists of experts from different fields like public transportation,heath,urban development,real estate,environment and cartography and GIS. Kshatriya added that the committee has so far drawn out a schedule for the process of preparing the plan.

“We will be soon seeking the approval of the standing committee for the schedule and the appointment of an consultant that will be in-charge of preparing the plan,” said Kshatriya.

The Development Plan is a 20-year blueprint for Mumbai’s land use that earmarks space for open spaces and amenities like public schools,hospitals,parking lots and markets. The land reserved for any of the above public purpose has to be acquired from private owners and developed and maintained by the municipal corporation for the intended purpose.

However,with no deadline set for its implementation and frequent indiscriminate land use changes made by the state government,less than 15% of the Development Plan (1991) has been implemented in the last two decades.