Gurgaon Master Plan 2031

Unclear vision of a future megapolis

Dr Bhawani Shankar Tripathy

Empowering local bodies for better governance, September 1, 2013

Residential• Notified in 2007• Population increase from 22 lakh to 37 lakh

(15 lakh plus)• Area increase from 8000 ha to 37,000 ha• Population density 200 per ha• Additional sectors 58-115

Commercial

• Land reserved for big commercial malls and corporates

• Max 50% commercial areas to be developed by private…rest by public

Industrial

• In addition Manesar, new industrial areas have been proposed along express highway adjacent to IMT Manesar.

Transport and communication…1• Construction of 3 link roads between Delhi-Gurgaon

– 90 m wide road link between Vasant Kunj to MG Road (along Biodiveristy Park periphery)

– 90 m wide road link from Andheria Mor to Gurgaon-Faridabad road through Mandi and Gual Pahari.

– 150 m wide road link between Dwarka and Palam Vihar.

• Increase in width of Master roads from 30m to 60m and 75m

• Northern (150 m), Southern (90 m) wide Peripheral roads

• MRTS corridor along the NPR proposed. Another MRTS proposed along Mehrauli road to extending up to the proposed 90-m link road with Delhi via Gwalpahari.

Transport and communication…2

• Transport Nagar spread across 28 ha in Sector 33

• Container depot had also been proposed adjoining Delhi-Rewari railway line.

• Auto Market in sector 10 in an area of 16 ha.

• A Transport Nagar in sector 33 on 28 ha developed by HUDA to be shifted to along Delhi- Rewari Railway Line, plus a Container Depot (shift from roads to railways)

Public utilities

• Public utilities in sectors 100, 101, 107– Water works– STPs– Electrical sub-stations

Public and Semi-public areas

• Government, educational, cultural institutions (all non-commercial purpose)

Open Spaces

• In sector 72-72 A, artificial water body. • 900 m defense line around Ammunition depot – no construction

allowed• Green belt along the sector/ arterial roads shall be primarily for

widening of sector/arterial road in future. However, till such time the widening does not take place, the said area may be utilized for nursery/plantations, fuel-filling station, communication lines, utility services etc. with the prior approval of the Director.

Special Zone

• Special zone shall include recreation and entertainment, commercial, group housing and institutional uses.

• Special Economic Zone (SEZ)– to facilitate the Indian entrepreneurs to compete foreign market– for the purpose of boosting the economy of state

Agriculture Zone

Agricultural zone (does not eliminate construction like extension of village abadi or what the GoH may decide as ancillary units)

2025 Plan salient features…1

• Notified in 2011• Population increase from 22 lakh to 40 lakh (18 lakh plus)• Population density from 100/acre to 120/acre• Minimum width of road in residential colony is 12 m. • Minimum area for parks/open spaces @ 2.5 sqm/person• Link roads (the 150 m wide road link between Dwarka and

Palam Vihar…extended to NH8) • Land for additional parking areas in new sectors• Proposed 200 m wide institutional belt along SPR the

Government offices and semi-Government offices• Golden Triangle City Centre (GTCC) in Sector 29 with four

tallest buildings in the world (140 floors, taller than Taipei 101)

2025 Plan salient features…2

• Electric lines upto 66 Kilovolt in the urbanizable area shall be laid underground.

• Realignment of Badshahpur nallah storm water drainage towards south of 60 metres outer periphery road,

• 4613 ha for industrial use along NH8 adjacent to IMT Manesar

• In addition to SEZ on map, DLF SEZ, Unitech SEZ, Orient Craft SEZ, Metro Valley SEZ etc. Are also notified by GOI in different zones of this development plan as notified / denotification of SEZ is a continuous process.

2031 Plan salient features

• Notified in 2012• Population increase from 22 lakh to 42.5 lakh (20 lakh+)• Area decrease from 37,000 ha to 33,700 ha • 90 m wide road 63A/64 with to sector dividing road of

sector 30/31 of Development Plan of Sohna -2031 AD.• Net residential density of 250 persons/ha developed on

neighbourhood concept• In sector-68, 50 ha housing to low and medium income

group with density of 1,125 persons/ha

2031 Plan salient features…2

• 50 ha reserved for wholesale markets of building material, grain and vegetable market in Sector 99-A, on northern side of railway line along proposed 75 m road.

• Nearby 40 ha reserved for idle parking where heavy vehicles can be parked.

• 50 ha for dairy farming near village Dhankot

2031 Plan salient features…3

• Change in land-use: Part SEZ converted to 7 new residential/ commercial sectors…others under litigation

• Increase in size of sector 37-D, allotting whole land between Gadoli Khurd & old sector-37 D to a builder.

• New sectors - 95A, 95B, 89A, 89B, 88A, 88B and 99A - proposed covering nearby villages (Wazirpur, Hayatpur, Mohammedpur, GarouliKhurd, GarouliKalan and Harsaru...)

Sl No

Land Use 2021(Area in Ha)

2025(Area in Ha)

2031(Area in Ha)

1 Residential 14,390 15,148 16,010

2 Commercial 1,404 1,429 1,6163 Industrial 5,441 5,431 4,6134 Transport and

Communication 4,231 4,289 4,420

5 Public Utilities 564 609 6266 Public and Semi-public

use(Institutional) 1,630 1,775 2,035

7 Open Spaces 2,675 2,688 2,7758 Special Zone 106 106 1149 Defence Land 633 633 633  Total Area 31,614 32,108 32,842

10 Special Economic Zone 4,570 4,570 -

11 Existing Town 406 406 40612 Village Abadies 428 428 478  Grand Total 37,069 37,512 33,726

Some key Plan questions…1

• Three successive master plans in a span of six years? • First draft Master Plan 2021 on July 11, 2006. The Final

2021 master plan, notified on February 5, 2007 reflected a dramatic shift from the draft plan

• Between MP2021 and MP2025, land-use of sectors 63A and 67A were converted (approx 500 acres) of agricultural land, to residential land use.

• Affordable housing went for a toss (HUDA said land was too expensive)?

The sad story of SEZ

• DDP 2031 released on Nov 15, 2012; finally notified on Sept 4, 2012 after conversion of roughly 2,200 acres of SEZ land into residential/commercial use. Entire 25,000 acres earmarked for SEZs cancelled.

• “SEZs would create five lakh jobs. Guarantee that at least one member of each family that gives up its land for the project would be given employment…”

• Original landowners did not benefit; instead SEZ developers obtained licences to develop industrial colonies on the same land.

Reportedly….

• Farmers remained unconvinced and unwilling to cooperate. This led to forcible possession of their land by the State with the intervention of the Haryana police force. Litigation involving hundreds of acres is pending in the Punjab and Haryana High Court since 2007.

• Litigation involving hundreds of acres is pending in the Punjab and Haryana High Court since 2007.

• Despite its stated mandate to increase industrial development, land allocated for industrial use was reduced by 2020 acres in MP2031.

Objections and Suggestions to GMUC DDP 2031 raised by

Objections and Suggestions to GMUC DDP 2031 raised by Mission Gurgaon Development

1. Objection to methodology adopted

2. Environmental issues based objections

3. Technical/Legal objections

4. Parawise objections to Annexure A

5. Parawise objections to Annexure B

6. Objections with suggestions

7. Action requested

Objection to methodology adopted

• NCRPB legal underpinnings• Instructions, Guidelines, Policy, Rules, Regulations and

Statutes Violated• Unmet requests of NCRPB• MOUD guidelines• National Forest Policy 1998 guidelines• Impossibilities of meeting deadlines• Pre-requisites

Environmental issues based objections

• Aravalli range • Biodiverity Park, Ghata Bund land, Mangar, etc

Technical and Legal objection

• In environmental law the burden of proof is upon the authority or agency moving a proposal to show that there is no possibility of grave harm to environment/ water resources/ wildlife/ flora by execution of this proposal,

(Vellore Citizens' Welfare Forum v. Union of India, (1996) 5 SCC 647 (3 judges) & A.P. POLLUTION CONTROL BOARD 1999 (2) SCC 718) and furthermore the Apex Court has noted that the proponents are duty bound to make an honest disclosure of all facts. (Para 11 of Godavarman 06.07.2011)

Parawise objections to Annexure A

• “Description of land uses” fails to account for mandatory requirement to first demarcate rechargeable areas such as flood plains, water bodies, etc for conservation activity as mandated at Para 1(iii) of NCRPB letter No. K-14011/33/2003-NCRPB dated 02.11.2004.

Para-wise objections to Annexure B

“XIX. Provision of farm house outside abadi-deh in agricultural zone. (vii) Services, water supply and drainage (a) & (c)”

• MoEF Notification dated 07.05.1992/ CGWB Notification (Dark Zone)/ Apex Court directive that prohibits boring of wells in Gurgaon District/ Aravalli Hills Range.

• It is now mandatory to install STP for treatment of sewage, hence no permission to use septic tank as sewage shall seep into ground water.

Insufficient information on inputs to planning

• Except Census 2011 for provisional population data, no other documentary evidence is used, which can indicate the basis of planning….

• Include a separate section in the DDP-2031, clearly indicating the following:– Problems arising out of implementation of the previous Master

Plan identified and analyzed.– Measures adopted to solve the identified and reported problems.– Measures proposed in the DDP 2031 to ensure that the

implementation of the new plan will not give rise to similar problems or new problems.

Insufficient Drawings appended with the DDP-2031

• While this drawing could be accessed, the different layers of the plan and the maps such as those of large natural resources (forests, water bodies, hills, natural drainages, etc), master drainage system, master roads, and similarly occupied or planned land area, are not available for review.

Inadequate evidence of integration with the regional plan

• No city can exist as an island or in isolation. All developments influence and impact beyond and above their immediate environs, especially when there is large-scale people movement and trade across borders.

• Lack of a vision for the city• A “Millennium City” to what?• Underestimation of actual Population: Carrying Capacity

of the land

Missing Sustainability: Need for Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)

• Impact of all proposed infrastructure development• Consequent developments such as growth in carbon

emissions from increased vehicular traffic, or growth in volume of sewerage generated from increased populations

• Bandhwari constructed in banned area

Where is water security? Managing the most precious resource

• The plan indicates a major chunk of agriculture land will be protected. Agriculture consumes close to 70% of the water supplied to the district. But it does not indicate how the new plan will meet the water demands of the new developments as well as for agriculture.

• The CGWB has already predicted Gurgaon to go dry by 2017 at the present population level.

• If It is well known that canal water will always be insufficient as is reported in the article written by the Haryana Minister Randeep Singh Surjewala on 15.10.2010 in Farmers’ Forum Magazine.

Monsoon Drainage and Waste water management

• Groundwater with very high levels of nitrates

• Natural drainages affected by previous Master Plan

• Badhshpur nallah• Current capacity of

treating sewage is only 30%. How additional sewage will be treated

Suggestions• Study of the aquifer and

water balance of each basin and for the district as a whole should be provided

• On the basis of the topography of the land, the entire area covered by the 2031 Master Plan, including a 1 km peripheral belt should be divided into basins so that each basin will be drained by a network of natural drains and water bodies.

Suggestions on water recycling

• Waste water other than from toilet could be treated, recycled and supplied for reuse. It must indicate what measures will be adopted (investment of resources, 33 technology and management processes) so that the toilet water is separated from other waste water, and after treatment is supplied for gardening and other uses not involving human consumption.

No sight of solid waste management plans

• Bandhwari assessment for efficient functioning.• E-waste management• Assessment study about the various types and extent of solid

waste generated in existing city• Plan and reserve land for environmental development such as

green area, hills, and water bodies around land-fill sites

• Calculate and reserve land for 'Transit Garbage Placement Points ' in all zones before this garbage is lifted daily to be transported to waste treatment plants.

• Disposal, recycling, and reuse should be the mantra for waste generated from construction material (malba).

• Plans for disposal and management of animal carcasses for the current city and future developments, without impacting environment and human life.

Inadequate Transport and Communication links• MRTS, yes, but where is integrated networks• Transport Modelling before planning for transportation.• Prepare MRTS keeping in mind inter and intra-city

transportation and not just a single loop of metro.

Parking

• Norms for parking

More information needed on health and hospital plans

• Nationally recommended bed capacity in hospitals in urban areas is 0.25% of the population (250 per lakh of population).

• Current bed capacity about 2,500 for 20 lakh.

• Need for blood banks, laboratories, and trauma centres

• Need for public health facilities for poor. More civil hospitals and dispensaries in different parts of city.

Inadequate Housing for urban poor

Construction of EWS house/flats which shall remain the property of the state/housing apartment associations but shall be rented out on nominal rent to EWS category applicants under government supervision.

The Planning Commission has opined that sale of EWS plots/flats is unviable

Housing for the poor and middle…

• “In sector-68, a pocket of approx 50 ha with density of 1,125 persons/ha reserved for providing housing to low and medium income group.

• Density is against average of 270 persons/ha for the city as a whole and is too high.

• Planned housing will cater to only about 56,000 of the low income (2.8% of total population).

• It needs to be drastically raised and spread over a number of sectors

• National average of poor in urban areas is about 20%.

Housing suggestion

• Government must retain lien on all EWS constructions and supervise the renting out of these properties only to pre-defined EWS categories as given in state policy document.

Planning for educational hubs is unclear

• @ 2000 students in an institution, there must be at least 1000 school, colleges and professional institutions for the present population of 20 lakh

• For holistic physical and mental development, separate sports stadia of national standard must be planned.

• For 20 lakh, there should be a minimum 10 multi-purpose stadiums.

Weak clarity on use of Open Spaces

• Playgrounds in each sector and housing colony ought to be made compulsory

• 300-acre Bio-Diversity Park, part of Aravalli• Road proposed in the Plan and cutting through the

Bio-Diversity Park must be removed

Disaster management planning

• Gurgaon Manesar is located on the Seismic Zone 4• Land required for development of all ancillaries required

for disaster mitigation and management must be indicated clearly in the Plan.

Land around ammunition depot has been urbanized in violation

• In violation of the 900 m restriction line and as given in the notification, the land around the ammunition depot is urbanized.

“A 900 metres wide strip of land around the ammunition depot has to be kept free from urbanization under the provision of the Works of Defence Act, 1903 (Act 7 of 1903).” (GMUC DDP 2031; Annexure A, Sl no 7, Open Spaces, Page 4)

Planning for power

• No land use indicated for setting up power stations (indicated under public services)

Objections attended to in Final Plan

DDP had 9 points. FDP has 14. The new headings are:10. Natural Conservation Zone11. Environmental Concerns12. Conservation of Heritage sites13. Development of infrastructure14. Land use distribution of Hubs

Points 10 and 11 directly talk about protection of Aravalis, environmental concerns, groundwater recharge, and biodiversity park. Quotes MOEF rules, SC orders, etc. Biodiversity Park mentioned as an ENTITY in itself - the road has also been diverted thru periphery of BDP.

Not the final word…at Mission Gurgaon Development A people’s movement for good governance

“We have come here together not as intellectual rebels but as intellectual innovators. We cannot accept the past as a guide to the future….Trend is not destiny, change is not a chance, it is a choice. It is to that change in human affairs to which we must recommit ourselves. For nothing else will redeem our own pledge either to ourselves or to the future of humanity.”

(Dr Mahbub-ul-Haq, concluding remarks at SID North-South Roundtable conference on “A new framework on development cooperation, Maryland, USA, Jan 26-28, 1998)