Title - Delhi Urban Art Commission rejects housing project beside Vishwavidyalaya station

NEW DELHI: Delhi Urban Art Commission (DUAC) has shot down a proposal for a residential development project at the Vishwavidyalaya Metro Station in Civil Lines. The proposal was submitted by the erstwhile Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) on behalf of a private party but the Commission felt the proposal did not do justice to the surrounding areas and asked the architect to come back with three to four alternative proposals. The private party had submitted a building plan for a multi-storeyed group housing society to the erstwhile MCD a few months back. The building department had sought clearance from the town planning department as the proposed highrise is located in an eco-friendly zone. According to a North Delhi Municipal Corporation official, the Master Plan of Delhi 2021 doesn't approve of a highrise in that area. "As there is no provision for a highrise in the area, we had asked the building department to reject the plan,'' said a North Corporation official. Located right behind the Vishwavidyalaya Metro station, the land was initially to be used for parking. However, a few years back, the Union Urban Development ministry changed the land use from "institutional" to "residential". The DMRC later auctioned the land to a private party. "According to the building plan submitted by the builder, there is a plan to construct a housing complex which is more than 50 metres in height. But the MPD-2021 restricts tall buildings in Lutyen's Bungalow Zone, Civil lines and North Delhi Campus,'' said Mahinder Nagpal, leader of the House, North Corporation. The civic agency had to forward the proposal to DUAC as L-G Tejendra Khanna had approved a floor area ratio of 200 with no height restriction in this case. "As the orders were from L-G's office, we had to send the file to DUAC for final approval. We are to get an official reply in this regard. The building plan will be approved only after DUAC clears the file,'' said Nagpal. North corporation officials fear that if this project is approved, then similar demands would be made by other builders in the area. The Art body took into consideration objections raised by Delhi Univeristy to the high-rise development at the site while scrutinizing the proposal. The chief town planner of MCD pointed out certain provisions of the MPD '21 detailing tall buildings. "The height of buildings (above and below the ground) needs to be seen in the light of modern technology with due consideration for natural disasters like earthquakes, floods etc. Restrictions on tall buildings would be necessary in important areas like Lutyen's Bungalow Zone, Civil lines and North Delhi Campus. In case of urban extension, areas for specific urban design projects and tall buildings should be identified,'' states the Master Plan. Following these observations, the Commission felt that the site of the proposal was at an important location and the proposal of highrise development would have significant impact on the whole area. "It is, therefore, imperative that the proposal need to be studied in context of its surroundings. There was need for the preparation of an urban design for the area, said DUAC officials.