Improving connectivity and development of neighbouring towns around Delhi, located within 60km of the city centre, is the way forward to address the problem of unregulated urban growth in the future.

This was one of the many suggestions given by experts at the two-day long consultation (Re-inventing Delhi) organised by the National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) and the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) on the Master Plan of Delhi for 2041.

Speaking at the event, Pedro B Ortiz, senior fellow at Marron Institute of Urban Management (MIUM), New York University, said the metropolis will have to meet the challenge of increasing population.

“You can’t forbid people from coming to the city, as they come here with a hope for a better life. If you are not going to provide the land for them, then they are going to be uncontrolled in informal settlements,” said Ortiz, an urban development experts and former mayor of Madrid’s central district. He was the special speaker at the two-day long consultation organised by DDA-NIUA.

Referring to the way Delhi has grown over the years, he said that planning has to be done in such a way that the increasing population must be spread to the neighbouring regions, which are not yet fully developed. In the next few years, Delhi will need 3 million dwelling units and the number of private vehicles will also increase.

Stressing on the need for developing multi-modal stations in the neighbouring towns, Ortiz said, “These are not new towns. You can use existing towns to expand and put stations of the border of these towns so you have 50% of the land (available) to expand.”

Ortiz has worked as the director general for Town and Regional Planning for the Government of Madrid Region and has authored the Regional Development Plan of Madrid of 1996 and the Land Planning Law of 1997.

DDA and NIUA experts say that the problem of unauthorised colonies, which till now have been out of the planning ambit, will be addressed in the next master plan. For this, the most important thing is to improve the connectivity between Delhi and the neighbouring towns.

“The multi-modal stations should come up in neighbouring towns along with residential development,” he said.

Augmenting the commuter train system can also in easing the load on the city. Ortiz said that the commuter train network has to be wider and should connect Delhi with towns within 60 km distance.

“At present, the commuter train system is competing with the metro system. Commuter train should connect the city with the areas in 60kms and be complimentary to the metro system. It will then be much more efficient and integrate the neighbouring areas. Commuter trains shouldn’t become a second metro,” he said.

One of the major hurdles in implementation of the master plan or any policy in Delhi is the multiplicity of authority. When asked about how it could be addressed, Ortiz said, “Collective intelligence.”

He added, “A metropolis needs a federal system which can make decisions. If a body (government) doesn’t have the capacity of implementation because it doesn’t have a stick and carrot and has to suggest to other bodies do whatever they want, this (system) doesn’t work. The federal government have to think of a system to provide for the metropolis. And India is in a good position (to do this).”

First Published: Feb 21, 2019 13:38 IST