The Hindu : New Delhi News : Urban Development Ministry for promoting NCR concept

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Sep 17, 2004

New Delhi

New Delhi

Urban Development Ministry for promoting NCR concept

By Sujay Mehdudia

NEW DELHI, SEPT. 16. The Union Urban Development Ministry is in no mood to offend the Supreme Court on the issue of closure and relocation of industries and is strongly contemplating promoting the concept of creating magnetic townships in the National Capital Region (NCR) to decongest the Capital.

The Ministry is understood to have refused to file any kind of affidavit in the court and has instead asked the Delhi Government to take necessary measures in this direction.

According to senior officials, what had irked the Ministry, especially the Union Urban Development Minister, Ghulam Nabi Azad, is the Delhi Government's "attempt to fire from the shoulders of the Ministry". By putting the onus of filing the affidavit and carrying out the survey for identifying 70 per cent industrial units in residential areas, it had tried to wriggle out of the situation and put the Ministry in a fix. Officials said that the directions of the court were very clear that industries in the non-conforming areas had to close down and all the polluting industrial units would have to go. The deadline set by the court for closure of nearly 5,000 polluting industrial units in the Capital is October 8.

Sources informed that while the Delhi Government had been talking about the need to regularise nearly 24 residential areas where more than 70 per cent industrial clusters were found, the Government had failed to give a thought to the condition of the rest of the residents of the area. "Nobody seems to be talking about the fate of the 30 to 50 per cent residents in such illegal industrial clusters. All the politicians and political parties are crying hoarse for only the money bags and not the poor residents whose life has been ruined and made hell,'' remarked a senior official.

It is learnt that during the meeting with the Chief Minister and officials of the Delhi Government, Mr. Azad is learnt to have made it clear that his Ministry would not go against the court order and file any kind of affidavit that might invite the wrath of the court.

It is in this context that it was decided in the meeting with the Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, that the Delhi Government would file the affidavit in the court seeking extension of time. Mr. Azad is also unhappy with the manner in which the whole thing has been handled by the Delhi Government and its officials during the last few months. An impression has been sought to be created that everything had to be done by the Union Urban Development Ministry and all the delay or problems were at its end.

On the other hand, it is learnt that Mr. Azad has convened a meeting of the Chief Minister and senior officials of the NCR States in an effort to work towards a solution for decongestion of the Capital. The meeting, likely to be held next month, comes close on heels of a submission of a report by a special committee on the promotion of NCR townships and industrial concept. Officials revealed that Mr. Azad is very keen that Delhi should not be the destination for anything and everything and the economic activity should be diverted to NCR townships by putting in the necessary infrastructure in place.

It is understood that the issue of putting into place the Integrated Rail and Bus Transport system as well as extension of local trains and Metro Rail to these townships would also be discussed during this meet. The Ministry is keen to ensure that not only is the Capital decongested, but economic activities are also diverted to deflect the convergence of migratory population in the Capital every year.

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