Hindustan Times | Household industries: Centre needs to rethink Delhi Master Plan, say urban planners

Dec 10,2019

The fire tragedy at Anaj Mandi on Sunday, in which 43 people lost their lives, has raised serious questions about the Centre’s decision to relax norms for household industries in the Master Plan of Delhi (MPD)-2021, with experts saying that instead of regularising the illegality, the government should make amendments after assessing the impact they will have on an area in the long run.

Last year, the Central government had amended the MPD-2021 to provide relief to household industries operating from residential areas by allowing units of up to nine workers with power connection of 11 kilowatt (KW), instead of the limit of five people and 5 KW power connection as per the earlier plan. In November this year, this provision was further amended to do away with the permission of Delhi government’s labour department and Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) needed to set up such units.

“There is a need to rethink civic infrastructure and plan it after assessing the impact of such decisions in the long run, before amending the MPD which is a vision document. We should assess its implication for the next 30-50 years,” said AK Jain, former planning commissioner with the Delhi Development Authority (DDA).

There are a total of 112 industrial activities permitted as household industries in residential areas. The amendment, DDA officials say, was done following growing demand from household industries owners.

According to urban planners, relaxations in norms will only lead to an increase in commercialisation in residential areas and add to the problem of parking and transport, and add load on civic infrastructure.

Shamsher Singh, former chief town planner with the erstwhile municipal corporation of delhi and later to south Delhi municipal corporation, said such a decision will only lead to chaos in the future. “In the past, the master plan was used to regularise whatever has illegality came up in the city. However, it is a vision document and should not be amended just because people demand it. It should provide a planning solution to existing problems so that we can have sustainable areas. With such amendments, the residential character of an area will be gradually lost and this will lead to civic mess,” he said.

In Sunday’s incident, the building which burned down was meant for residential purposes but had been housing at least six small industrial units. Fire department official said that in several cases, it had been found that the premises where a fire incident took place was being used for activities other than what it had gotten approvals for. “The problem is that the affected premises is often used for purposes other than what it was approved for. If the MPD is strictly followed then there will be no problem,” said a senior fire official.

However, Union housing and urban affair minister Hardeep Singh Puri later told HT that the amendments to the MPD regarding household industries will not be reconsidered.