Dwarka residents oppose DDA’s plans to build megacities

http://www.thehindu.com/2008/08/14/stories/2008081457090400.htm

Smriti Kak Ramachandran
‘First provide amenities to the existing settlements’
NEW DELHI: A mega township and some villages have joined forces to oppose the Delhi government’s move to add five new townships to the city.
The Dwarka Forum — a collective of residents from residential complexes and the Dwarka Kshetra Gram Sangathan (DKGK), a group of 20 villages — have asked the DDA to put on hold its expansion plans, keeping in view the depleting water table and the shrinking water sources.
“Dwarka does not even get half of the water that it should. Villages around Dwarka are dependent on tube-well water. There is no piped-water from the Delhi Jal Board for them and they are forced to use unfit tube-well water. It is impractical to think of increasing the city limits,” said Diwan Singh, a member of the Dwarka Forum.
“We have put forth our concerns to the objections hearing committee of the DDA. Vikram Soni of the National Physical Laboratory challenged the basis for increasing the carrying capacity in these expansion plans. The carrying capacity has to be decided by the water availability. Laying water and sewage networks, building roads, flyovers and other such works are within the scope of developing agencies, but the availability of water is not in their control . Hence, the carrying capacity of the city can only be increased if there is sufficient water availability,” said Mr. Singh.
Suraj Bhan of DKGK complained that the groundwater level in their villages have gone down by almost 100 feet in the past 10 years. They said it was unjust that there was no means of filtered water supply in the villages.
The government has proposed the setting up of mega townships in North Delhi, South of Vasant Kunj, in Nangloi between Rohtak Road in the North and Dwarka in the West, in Najafgarh area and in North-West Delhi between Rohini and Haryana.