Indian Express 27.10.2010
To beautify Walled City, DDA ropes in help from Barcelona
Express News Service Tags : Delhi Development Authority, Memorandum of Understanding, Barcelona Strategic Urban Systems Posted: Wed Oct 27 2010, 04:40 hrs
New Delhi: In a bid to ensure development of the Walled City, the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Barcelona Strategic Urban Systems, AIE, Spain who represent the Barcelona City Council.The MoU, signed at Raj Niwas on Tuesday afternoon, looks to “initiate cooperation in the fields or urban planning, especially in the areas of heritage conservation, public spaces and urban renewal of the Walled City, and its extension,” said Lieutenant-Governor Tejendra Khanna.
As per the MoU, the DDA and Barcelona City Council have also decided to undertake “joint research activities”. “The Walled City — Shahjahanabad — needs special treatment to conserve its heritage value while retaining the residential character,” read DDA’s statement. It also listed redevelopment of government-owned and private properties in Shahjahanabad.
The move will, however, put the Authority in direct confrontation with the already existent Shahjahanabad Redevelopment Corporation, whose objectives are almost the same.
The MoU also holds that the two parties will also strive to “formulate a policy for integrating historical monuments and precincts in the layout plans and formulating building controls in relation to height material for the buildings in the vicinity of these monuments.”
Barcelona’s public squares are globally renowned and DDA’s ambitious plans include setting up similar squares in the Capital, for which it hopes to seek advice from experts in the Barcelona City Council.
Microbrewery at IGI
The Delhi Development Authority, in its meeting held on Tuesday, also approved the plan to bring in a minor amendment in the Masterplan 2021 to allow for setting up a microbrewery at the Indira Gandhi International Airport. The microbrewery proposal has already been approved under the Excise Policy and by the Central Pollution Control Board. DDA’s technical committee has now forwarded the proposal for clearance to the Ministry of Urban Development.
Housing maintenance policy
With the DDA ready to announce its biggest housing scheme ever — with 15,000 houses to be sold — in November, the land owning agency also approved its new housing maintenance policy on Tuesday. Under this policy, common portions, and exteriors of DDA flats will be maintained by the DDA for a period of 30 years, and an amount for this service will be included in the cost of the flat at the time of allotment. The special maintenance includes “grit wash every 10 years, stairwell plaster and whitewash once every 3 years, flooring once every 5 years, and sanitary line drainage once every 3 years”, among other things.
