DDA like an elephant,too slow for Delhi: Sheila Dikshit

Her comments came at a function where she released a study “Urbanizing India and Mega Metro Network: Vision for the Emerging cities of India — 2030” conducted by by ASSOCHAM.

Criticising DDA’s style of functioning,she said,”In a city which you can see growing almost by the hour,how can you have a plan which will go on for 20 years? In 20 years,the city would have moved on and your plan would have remained as it is.

“Funds are not a problem as the Centre and the Prime Minister have been liberal in allocation of funds. What we are lacking is skilled development and implementation. Management of the funds is very very poor,” she said.

Alleging lack of intention to execute policies,she said in private sector,work is done in a a stipulated time but the “sarkari ways are too long and tedious.

“If we have failed to give the labourer a place to stay,how can you blame the poor for the growing slums?” she said. She also said her government has decided to enlarge the basket of services under the Citizens’ Charter from 47 to 97and introduce 10,000 low-floor buses to make the capital one of the best cities in the world.

“We should be able to build two to three lakh houses for economically weaker sections,20,000 of which have already been done,” she said.

Developing housing structures for the city’s burgeoning population has been a challenge for policy makers,Dikshit said.

Terming land laws as “archaic”,she said,”The supply has not kept up with the rising demand. We must change land laws and building laws which were made in 1895.”

While talking about developing mass transport systems in the city,Dikshit said “Delhi has 70 lakh vehicles while 10 lakh more come in every day from surrounding cities.”

Urging the civil society to change its attitude towards the city’s development,Dikshit said “If we are not able to change our vision as a civil society,work will remain half

done.”