By TIOL News Service

NEW DELHI, AUG 21, 2014: DELHI Development Authority (DDA) will take up a series of ambitious projects to enable quick and hassle free travel besides providing public spaces for recreation and quality living and promoting better walkability and women safety. Various initiatives of DDA have been firmed up at a review meeting taken by Urban Development Minister Mr M.Venkaiah Naidu yesterday. Mr Shankar Aggarwal, Secretary (Urban Development), Vice-Chairman of DDA Mr Balwinder Kumar besides senior officials of the Ministry and DDA participated in the discussions.

Mr Naidu has emphasized the need for DDA to address problems of congestion on Delhi roads, housing, lack of public spaces and other amenities that are required to enhance the quality of living. After detailed deliberations it was decided that DDA will launch new initiatives besides expediting projects which are under consideration, as follows:

1. Decongestion of Delhi: DDA will take up construction of elevated or new roads, up-gradation and extension of existing corridors and provide seamless connectivity with other NCR cities without passing through inner areas of Delhi. This is aimed at decongesting five critical roads viz., Urban Extension Road-II connecting North Delhi with airport/Gurgaon without requiring to pass through congested areas of Central and South Delhi like Connaught Place, Rao Tularam Marg etc. The other critical roads include-Extension of Chattarpur&Mandi Road to better connect Gurgaon, Extension of Barapullah Phase-III from East Delhi to Airport, Dwarka Expressway and new connections from Noida and Faridabad. Shri Naidu asked DDA to engage a consultant of international repute to prepare feasibility reports.

2. Country's first cycle sharing system: DDA will promote country's first cycle sharing system at Dwaraka sub-city. This system will cover 65 sq.kms of area with 300 cycle stations with modern smart-card based interface, computerized docking facilities and women friendly cycles. This system for which tender has been floated to choose the vendor will be fully functional within one year. Shri Venkaiah Naidu desired that Dwarka sub-city be developed as a world class cycle sharing system.

3. Public Plazas and Relaxation Areas for Common Public: DDA will develop public plazas, food courts, shopping areas within catchment areas of most of the 65 stations of Delhi Metro Phase-III. South Delhi Greenway Corridor will be developed by cleaning the 12 km. long BarapullahNallah using bio-remediation techniques to create safe, vibrant public places for public including women and children. Cycling highway corridor will be developed connecting South Delhi to Central Business Districts. Shri Naidu asked DDA to provide shared public spaces based on the traditional concept of ‘chowks' similar to Hussain Sagar Lake in Hyderabad and Kankaria Lake in Ahmedabad.

4. Integrated Passenger Terminals: DDA will also develop five world class integrated passenger terminals in the form of Transit Hubs to provide seamless integration between different modes like airports, railway stations, local metro stations and buses with feeder services for last minute connectivity. These terminals to come up at AnandVihar, Sarai Kale Khan, Dwarka Sector-21, Tikri Kalan and Kashmir Gate will provide accommodation facilities for regional and international commuters to experience seamless travel. These terminals will also contain commercial hubs.

5. Better Walkability and Women Safety: DDA will come out with a Transit Oriented Development (TOD) Policy envisaging a paradigm shift in building by-laws to promote modern planning concepts of mixed use of built up areas, buildings at road side, connectivity between neighbourhoods and metro stations etc. This approach will be applied to 500 mt of catchment area of metro corridors. This will minimize travel to work places besides promoting safety of women.

6. Self-contained Sub-Cities in Urban Extensions: Further to notification of Land Pooling Policy in five Zones of Urban Extensions of Delhi, Mr Venkaiah Naidu asked DDA to provide world class infrastructure in the sub-cities that are to come up ins such areas to make them self-contained with education and entertainment hubs, medi-cities, IT hubs, Transit Hubs, Business Districts etc. DDA will engage internationally experienced consultants to prepare blue prints in this regard. The Minister asked DDA to make detailed presentation on Land Pooling Policy to the Members of Parliament from Delhi.

Mr Venkaiah Naidu directed the Ministry officials and DDA to ensure transparent and time bound execution of these projects.