DP-Index-dec07-lead2
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A section of
DOCPOST which is an
extract, executive
summary, index
rolled into one.
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URBAN
LANDS / REAL ESTATE
Urban
regulator to be toothless
A
REGULATORY body formed to check unauthorised constructions, misuse of
land and regulate construction activity in the city, would now be
devoid of any powers. The Delhi government has decided not to vest
any executive powers in the Delhi Urban Regulatory Appellate
Authority (DURAA). The Tejendra Khanna committee, formed in the
aftermath of the court driven sealing and demolition drive in the
city, had suggested the formation of the DURAA as an agency with
overwhelming powers to regulate all construction activity in the
city.
by
Amitabh Shukla. The Hindustan Times. 10/12/2007
At
the beck and call of foreign capital
The
second instance is that of the Commonwealth Games Complex which is
coming up right on the bed of the Jamuna in Delhi. The authorities
were sold on the site from the very first day. They showed no other
site to the Commonwealth team when it visited New Delhi to finalise
the arrangements. Here, 11 buildings with 11,000 rooms and other
facilities like parking, will be put up by a foreign company at its
own cost. In return, the company will be allowed to sell two-thirds
of the buildings. Once the games open up the area, the price of the
land is likely to be roughly Rs 10,000 crores. By then, if the plan
is implemented, this plot of land will become a jungle of concrete
buildings, embracing a portion of the Jamuna bed.
by
Kuldip Nayar. The Asian Age. 10/12/2007
Buildings
on forest land not out of the woods yet
Despite
its initial commitment to protect the interest of flat owners on
private forest land in the Bhandup- Mulund-Borivli-Kandivli belt, an
affidavit filed by forest secretary J P Dange reveals that the
government is reluctant to come to the rescue of these aggrieved
residents. In his five-page affidavit submitted before the high court
in response to a bunch of petitions filed by a group of builders and
the Mulundbased Hillside Residents Welfare Association, Dange cited
the Maharashtra Private Forest Act, and said that all land acquired
under it was automatically government land. And since it was forest
land, any building or construction would be banned under the act.
by
Prafulla Marpakwar. The Times of India. 11/12/2007
Eco-sensitive
lands may see devpt
Government
sources say the Rs 280 crore deal for salt pan land between Mulund
and Thane is a sure indicator that the state is all set to throw up
these eco-sensitive lands for commercial and residential development
under the guise of rehousing slum dwellers. NEED
OF SALT PANS Salt pans and mangroves serve as organic bulwarks to
protect the city from nature's fury. They are natural holding ponds
for rainwater and serve as vital dissipation spaces, allowing the
accumulated water to drain into the sea. Warning of an "ecological
disaster", civic activists and environmentalists say by
sacrificing these lands, the city will have to pay as high a price as
it did during the 2005 deluge. According to experts, such open spaces
are essential for allowing fresh air to circulate. It also acts as a
storage space for surplus high-tide water.
by
Milind Ballal. The Times of India 15/12/2007
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