By IANS,
New Delhi : The Supreme Court Tuesday envisaged synchronized growth of the national capital and the region around it to meet the problem of growing population in Delhi, straining its infrastructure for amenities like power and water.
A bench of Justice Arijit Pasayat sought “harmonious blending” of the Master Plan 2021 for Delhi with that of the national capital region (NCR).
The bench, which also included Justices C.K. Thakker and L.S. Panta, issued notice to the National Capital Region Board (NCRB), seeking its involvement in blending of the master plans for Delhi and NCR to chart out a growth strategy of the two.
The bench asked Delhi government authorities and others of agencies like Delhi Development Authority, Municipal Corporation of Delhi, New Delhi Municipal Corporation and Delhi Jal Board to examine the issue of synchronizing the two master plans in consultation with NCRB officials.
The bench directed that these deliberations be held under the leadership of a joint secretary-level officer of the urban development ministry.
The bench was examining the feasibility of Delhi’s Master Plan 2021 that envisages high-rise buildings to overcome the problem of shortage of living space in the city.
The feasibility of the Master Plan 2021, however, stands challenged in the apex court on the ground that the capital does not have the level of civic amenities to tackle the problem of a surge in population sky-scrappers are bound to trigger.
The bench noted that it was a “human problem, which could not be solved overnight”.