Correction: Development Plan won't be scrapped, will undergo patchwork

Has the Maharashtra government cheated the people of Mumbai? The answer is yes, if its latest circular on city's Draft Development Plan is anything to go by. The communication says the master plan won't be scrapped, but corrected.

The move, which is contrary to chief minister Devendra Fadnavis's earlier claim that the DP would be scrapped, is likely to enrage lakhs of Mumbaikars who had opposed the blueprint tooth and nail.

The master plan, which is riddled with errors and lacks foresight, had sparked an outrage all over the city, and the civic body was flooded with suggestions/objections. The CM had managed to soothe frayed nerves when he announced on April 21 – three days before the last day of accepting public opinion – that the faulty plan would be cancelled.

"The errors in the draft development plan which BMC has come out with on February 25 will be be investigated in details and all these mistakes will be corrected as it should have been as per the physical condition or the status of the said situation according to it's merit, planning and legal aspects. These changes will be done and included as per the Maharashtra Town Planning Act, 1966 - Part three," reads the circular dated April 23.

It also says that the said changes in the draft plan will have to be presented in the general body meeting of the BMC under section 26 of the MRTP Act within four months time which will also include suggestions and objections of from the citizens.

dna had on April 22 reported that it would be impossible for the government to junk the draft DP and make a fresh one in just four months, especially considering fact that the exercise had been undertaken over a period of five years.

Citizens and activists are once again ready to organise if the draconian DP is imposed on the city with cosmetic changes. "Nowhere in the circular is there any mention of scrapping of the draft DP. This clearly means that the CM wanted to pacify citizen groups and activists. In fact, people were under the impression that their efforts had borne fruit and they also lauded the government's 'earnest' approach towards the city's development. The circular mentions only changes in the existing plan," said a prominent activist.

The circular, however, mentions several goof-ups like mangrove patches shown as residential plots; no development zones shrunk to show development; lands permitted for development shown as reserved plots, areas allotted to mill workers on Mhada plots marked as reserved plots; several lacunae choking gentrification of old cessed and Mhada buildings.

Meanwhile, members of the Muslim community on Saturday reiterated their original demands. Samajwadi Party leader Rais Shaikh said, "The circular only suggests that state did not have any intention of changing the DP. Now, we have to ensure that our suggestions are taken into account."