hsm whatsapp transcripts 160613-14 (ed)
The recently released development plan (DP) ends up holding a mirror to the city and the crippling lack of infrastructure.
Statistics from the plan reveal how some of the sought-after, prime realty areas are suffering from an acute lack of basic infrastructure. This is common with some of the city’s less-developed areas like Mankhurd, Govandi, Kurla, Kalina.
Hence, even while you continue to shell out hefty amounts to live in these areas, your access to basic amenities and the quality of life you enjoy may continue to be very poor.
From the lofty Malabar Hill and Walkeshwar to the colonial-era layout of Shivaji Park, areas of Dadar, even Worli and the tony Juhu and Andheri (West), most of these areas have severe deficits in infrastructure as basic as educational, health and social amenities like markets and cemeteries. Needlessly, most of these areas sorely lack open, green spaces.
Data in the DP showed how all these wards, even by current standards, needed hundreds of hectares to create amenities to meet the standards. Not much may change, even if the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC)’s plans from the DP is implemented.
According to the BMC’s projections, even if it manages to acquire all possible plots reserved for amenities in these areas, most of them will continue to be plagued by infrastructural deficiencies.
Critics argue that the civic body’s standards for providing amenities are very poor, much lower than those prescribed by the Centre. To add to it, is the BMC’s poor record of being able to implement only 20% of the DP’s plans, means that much of these may only remain on paper.
For instance, the D ward, which includes the areas of Walkeshwar, Mahalaxmi and Malabar Hill among others, will continue to face a shortage of educational, health and social amenities, even if the civic body’s plans of acquiring all plots earmarked in the area come true. Similarly, the K-West ward, with areas like Andheri-W and Juhu, will continue to see shortage of adequate open spaces, educational facilities and health infrastructure.
This is true even of the P North ward, which houses both prime commercial and residential properties as well as one of the city’s biggest slum clusters in Malvani, which will continue to suffer from educational, health, open spaces deficiencies along with a shortage of markets.
The civic body said it was aware of these shortages.
“Hence, we have not relied only on acquiring reserved plots. We have also planned to use built-up area and combine multiple uses on the same plots, to extract as much as utility from each plot, as we can,” said a civic official from the development plan department.
However, with the civic body’s traditionally poor implementation of the DP, doubts continue to plague this claim.
POOR BASICS #
The recently released Development Plan (DP) throws up statistics which show how, across the city, in tony areas and otherwise, there runs a common thread of poor basic infrastructure. How despite the BMC acquiring all reservations by 2034, the city will continue to experience poor infrastructure:
The city needs
Island city: 758.41 hectares
Western suburbs: 2,425.93 hectares
Eastern suburbs: 1,614.21 hectares
Total: 4,798.54 hectares to meet its amenity standards by 2034
Total land which will be required, after acquiring reservations, to meet the city’s amenity standards: 2,474.95 hectares
Some of the areas where this demand is very high
G North: Areas like Dadar, Prabhadevi, Shivaji Park
Will require 256.59 hectares
K East: Areas like Andheri East, Vile Parle East, Jogeshwari East
Will require: 215.17 hectares
P North ward: Areas like Malad, Kurar, Dindoshi, Manori, Madh
Will require: 339.76 hectares
M East ward: Areas like Govandi, Chembur, Mankhurd
Will require: 306.73 hectares
Some of the areas in the city which will continue to experience infrastructural deficits, even after land has been acquired:
Mahalaxmi, Malabar Hill, Walkeshwar (D ward): Will continue to have poor Educational, medical and social amenities like markets
Dadar, Prabhadevi, Shivaji Park (G North): Will remain poor with educational, medical, markets and open spaces infrastructure
Magathane, Dahisar, Eksar (R North ward): Will remain poor with educational, medical, open spaces, cemeteries infrastructure
Ghatkopar, parts of Vikhroli (N ward): Will remain poor with educational, medical, open spaces, cemeteries and markets
Isaac Mathew _ a possible suggestion is that the city because of its lack of any history in integrated planning not in a position to produce a city wide plan. ideally for standards if implemented or applied it is on sites which have area to accommodate standards. for a city which has grown organically and that too limited by a geography can standards of land locked metropolises apply? we may be asking for too much from the MCGM. given that the corporation is very bad at its job and not in an eminent position to adequately plan for its areas can planning mandates be transferred over to citizen groups who work with their appointed planners and designers to envision a future of their neighbourhood? the mcgm is then positioned as a plan approving agency who based on allocated funds or sources funds to implement such a plan. this suggestion is mostly derived from the eddp without the fsi regime. say the city has 150 planning clusters which are further subdivided on electoral boundaries (an extended possibility if required otherwise just a planning sector may be sufficient enough) each of these areas at a scheduled time submit an area plan to the MCGM who then works out feasibility and recommends revisions if any. here the cafeteria approach for slum development is applied across neighbourhoods where everyone is entitled to their own idea of a perfect local area plan whatever that might be. instead of cluster redevelopment, a sector based participatory development plan #dpidea
M Parwatay _ Mr Mathew,
Interesting thought as a starter. We should take 2 cases for solving.
The easiest & the toughest. We can show such an ideal Utopian Plan to BMC and convince them.
It’s easy to criticise. Let’s us put in efforts and prepare these 2 plans at the earliest.
Response please. …
Aravind Unni _ Two such area plans have already been prepared with people’s participation. M ward people’s plan. And Malvani people’s plan. This was presented to MCGM as well.
From campaign’s side.
M Parwatay _ And what was the reaction?
Adolf DSouza _ Ideally yes. This is what was envisaged in the unimplemented Nagar Raj Bill.
Let me try to explain by way of some examples:-
I’d pushed for opening of a Road as already proposed in DP 1991 - a road parallel to the famous & crowded Irla or Alfa Road. Got the Mayor to visit site. However, the MLA quickly went about building an obstructing Wall across to protect a few houses in the slum. The Andheri flyover work began soon after !!???
My citizens group had also proposed a Subway near Juhu Beach thru the MP - to offset traffic at main beach?
A late friend of mine had got D.T.Joseph to include in DP 1991 a road & subway thru Juhu airport from JVPD (new link road) to Linking Road (Santacruz) to offset traffic from S. V. Road. Will be repealed from new DP 2034?
Am told there is a small road near Bhavans college that has been politically obstructed by a small slum pocket.
Worthwhile ideas & plans are many; if you have big-ticket projects like Sea-link, Metro/Mono rails that are not in public interest - then be assured they are likely to be accepted. Till then citizens are not even aware what politicians are planning with consultations, architects, and front NGO’s who work in vested interests.
Till then don’t expect Radar traffic signals or Satellite based DP maps.
Nevertheless, we need to do what we have to as suggested above. ?
Robin Veigas _ A report which appeared in yesterday’s Asian Age about the DP2034 mtg held at Mahim
Nisha Kundar _ Having mobilized people over last two years from various locations in the city.. What according to you’ll were the limitations and what could be the future possibilities till the BMC elections next year?
Adolf DSouza_ Nisha, we all seem to be busy fire-fighting in our own turf & speciality.
What is needed is a Anna Hazare type movement.
How & when can such forum emerge?
Who has such Character to lead?
Why will NGOs with their own EGOs Unite?
I can only say that it has to rock the politicians/vote bank if it will be of any consequence.
Nisha Kundar _ I am very well aware of the efforts that have gone into this campaign. Knowing certain institutional limitations I only was wondering if all the knowledge and experience gathered in the process so far can be simply shared at local levels only to get people talking about development in the first place. It did work to some extent in Jogeshwari where I live and have done some small work with others in the group… I was only wondering whether elections could be used as a backdrop to question development and development plans. I have a feeling it will work. I see that anxiety among local leaders when questioned about the DP. When people and the self proclaimed local leaders start debating over the DP I think that will be half the battle won. That’s what I meant. I am not currently imagining a city wide momentum of the sorts of a movement. I am not quite sure if it will be of any consequence unless there’s a possibility of connecting people with the DP and it’s implications that we have seen in years. I think it is an important opportunity if only we could capitalize. Perhaps the momentum will build in time.
Isaac Mathew _ my apologies mr.parwatay in this delayed reply.
to an extent i am resounding ideas which mr.dsouza stated earlier. the city has had a history of contemporary area plans with charles correa’s backbay reclamation plan of 1974 to plural (i think) for dharavi in 2014. this record of 40years is from an architecture and urban design perceptive/ point of view. i have tried to map the 30-35 projects (popular ones) which were proposed out of which only three - oval maidan/ kalaghoda/ fort by a ward citizens collective, bandra bandstand/ fort/ carter road by bandra residents and then the very controversial (depends on how you look at it) chor bazaar redevelopment - have been considered successful. this poor rate of implementation is, mostly due to a lack of any valid interface between the municipality and the citizens to log in their ideas for their respective neighbourhoods/ localities/ wards. most of the areas mentions in the ht article shared are all town planning schemes of an era. they have to have been implemented based on some standards which at the looks of it works very well. my suggestion is mainly to bring down the campaign’s aspirations from the city to the local level and have a feasible instrument to draft/ implement/ sustain a local area plan. select eddp proposals along with the nagar raj bill would be places to start. as with the asian age article shared its surprising that even the dp suggestion/ objections have no mechanism for the mcgm to get back to the applicant on status of its filing. am not sure what is the number of suggestion/ objections this campaign’s filed (probably north of 30,000 letters) but no one seems to want to know what happened to them or what are ways to get a percentage of suggestions on the plan at least. two projects of malvani and m-east should be sufficient to re-look/ mostly update on what ideal local area in context to ward delineations be.
some notes from the model nagar raj bill, which may be relevant now _ The Ward Committee shall discharge the following functions, namely _ a) provide assistance in solid waste management in the ward; b) supervision of sanitation work in the ward; c) provide assistance for the preparation and encouragement of the development scheme for the ward; d) encourage harmony and unity among various groups of people in the ward; e) mobilize voluntary labour and donation by way of goods or money for social welfare programs; f) provide assistance in the implementation of development schemes relating to the ward; g) provide assistance for identification of beneficiaries for the implementation of development and welfare schemes; h) encourage art and cultural activities and activities of sports and games; i) ensure people’s participation in the voluntary activities necessary for successful implementation of the developmental activities of the municipality; j) … assist in the timely collection of taxes, fees and other sums due to the municipality; k) ensure maintenance parks in the ward; l) ensure maintenance of street lighting in the ward; m) perform such other functions as may be assigned to it by the municipality.
Sitaram Shelar #
Sabah Khan _ Discussion on homeless in RDDP 2034 happening right now in TISS M Ward office
Hussain Indorewala _ HAMARA SHEHAR MUMBAI ABHIYAAN
DP FACILITATION CENTRES ACROSS THE CITY
According to the MRTP Act, 1966 that mandates the preparation of the DP every twenty years, there is provision for ‘public suggestions and objections’ after the proposed land use plan has been drafted. Since 27 May 2016, Mumbai’s DP is at the stage of seeking public suggestions and objection to its revised draft Development Plan.
Hamara Shehar Mumbai Abhiyaan a people’s campaign of around 60 education institutions, research organizations, NGOs and CBOs has been actively involved in the Development Plan (DP) revision for the last 4 years.
In an attempt to reach out to many in the city who are impacted by this plan and provide detailed understanding of the issue and procedure the Campaign has been running a DP Facilitation Centre at TISS, Deonar since 1 June 2016. With an overwhelming response to the facilitation centre the campaign has launched facilitation centres in Andheri and Bandra as well.
The DP Facilitation Centre is now active in the following locations:
Collective for Spatial Alternatives (Versova, Andheri West)
| Weekdays between 4 pm to 6 pm
| Contact: Shweta 9821925974 | Hussain: 9819987998Youth for Unity and Voluntary Action (Bail Bazar, Kurla West)
| Sunday between 12 and 5 pm
| Contact: Marina: 9619519231M Ward Transformation Project (Deonar ) 5th floor Library Building, TISS Main Campus
| Monday to Saturday between 3 pm to 7 pm
| Contact: Nitin/ Purva: 022-25525150Habitat and Livelihood Welfare Association, Room No 289, Opp Shaheen Building, Indraji Nagar Bazar Road (Bandra West)
| Weekdays between 2 pm to 5 pm
| Contact: Kalam: 8286694484
We urge citizens to check their areas in order to make the Development Plan a more inclusive and accurate document.
Website: www.hamarasheharmumbai.org
Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/mumbaidp.hsm
Twitter: @HSMumbaiAbhiyan