Hindustan Times 19.11.2009
Corporators do not want urban experts to plan cityDespite the pathetic standards of living in Mumbai our elected representatives in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) do not think the city's future should be planned by experts.
The civic standing committee does not want professional urban planners to prepare the city's new Development Plan (DP). They want it to be done by the civic staff though civic officials themselves say they do not have the expertise.
The committee members opposed a proposal from the BMC's DP department to hire private consultants to prepare the new plan on Wednesday saying no outsider can understand the city. Congress corporator Sameer Desai said, “The problem is of compliance. There is a complete disconnect between what is written in the DP and what is actually done. Throwing consultants in will not help in improving the state.”
The civic administration is set to revise the DP for 2014 to 2034 to ensure the city’s systematic growth. It includes reserving land for civic amenities like roads and open spaces.
The plan also looks at utilities like water supply, sewerage and storm water drains. Many experts blame the improper implementation of the DP for the July 2005 deluge.
“We want to outsource the work because our DP department does not have the expertise,” said Manisha Mhaiskar, Additional Municipal Commiss-ioner. “Even if we want to have our own people to do the job we will have to hire 300 people.”
The DP includes selecting the process for opening land for urban development.
Mhaiskar said that the consultants would conduct a survey of existing land use and plan according to the city’s future transport needs. The BMC will be the supervisor and a panel of three standing committee members and four state appointed members will hold the decision making power and can give suggestions and objections, she said.
