Arvind Kejriwal (Photo Credit: Arvind Kejriwal)
New Delhi:
The Kejriwal Government has announced a groundbreaking initiative aimed at transforming non-conforming industrial areas into conforming zones. The initiative will create millions of employment opportunities. This ambitious project, spearheaded by Chief Minister Shri Arvind Kejriwal, aims to provide proper recognition to these areas and support the growth and development of industries within them. In pursuit of expeditious progress, the Chief Minister held a productive meeting with industrialists today to initiate the layout planning phase for the non-conforming industrial areas. The meeting served as a crucial platform for discussions and collaboration between the government and industry leaders, setting the foundation for the successful implementation of this transformative project.
In the meeting, Chief Minister Shri Arvind Kejriwal emphasised the significance of this step towards uplifting the non-conforming industrial areas. He stated that the government has taken a major stride in the direction of transforming these areas into conforming zones so that they can achieve proper recognition. Through this project, the government will completely redevelop these areas, boosting existing industries and generating a substantial number of new employment opportunities. Recognizing the importance of collaboration with the industrial community, the Chief Minister expressed his gratitude for their support, saying that this project cannot succeed without the support of industrialists. Thankfully, all of their associations have extended their full support to this cause, the CM informed.
The redevelopment of non-conforming industrial areas will be carried out in three phases. The initial phase will focus on the development of layouts, followed by the construction of necessary infrastructure in the second phase. The third and final phase will involve the establishment of essential public facilities to cater to the needs of the transformed zones. To ensure the successful execution of the project, a panel of consultants will be formed, with 90 percent of the consultancy cost being borne by the Delhi Government and the remaining 10 percent shared by the industry associations. This collaborative effort aims to leverage expertise and resources from both the public and private sectors. The positive impact of this initiative on employment generation cannot be overstated. Chief Minister Shri Arvind Kejriwal highlighted its significance, stating, that the redevelopment of non-conforming industrial areas will provide employment opportunities for an estimated 10-15 lakh people, creating a substantial boost to our economy and improving the lives of countless individuals and families.
Addressing the industrialists, CM Shri Arvind Kejriwal acknowledged the unplanned nature of development in Delhi. "The increasing population led to the spread of residential and commercial establishments, including industries. However, the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) failed to meet the growing demand for land, resulting in the emergence of misused land areas lacking essential infrastructure," he said, highlighting that what we see there is a complete lack of infrastructure. There are no sewer networks, water and electricity availability here. Everything in such areas runs on jugaad or makeshift improvisation. Eventually these areas were given the title of non conforming industrial areas, he said.
The CM said that to address this issue, the government formulated a policy wherein if any area was found to have continuous contiguous 4 hectares of land area having more than 70% of the total units as industrial units, then such areas would be notified as non conforming industrial areas.The government identified 26 notified areas, including one godown cluster area, as non conforming industrial areas. Two decades ago, the DDA issued an order requiring the creation of layout plans and the commencement of redevelopment in these areas.
The CM explained that if the industries did not comply with the DDA's order then it was directed that such units and areas would be closed down. This was 15-20 years ago. Since then, neither was a layout plan made nor any redevelopment process started. However, the industrial units could not comply with the order, leading to a legal quagmire and adverse court rulings, the CM said.
Recognizing the importance of these industrial units in providing employment opportunities, CM Shri Arvind Kejriwal stressed the need for an alternative approach that would not cause grave injustice to the employees. "Why can't we close down these areas and units? Because shutting them down would cause grave injustice as more than 1000 units across these 26 notified areas employ over 5 lakh people. Another 10 lakh people are employed informally. So that settles that - these units cannot be closed down," he said.
The government's solution is the Redevelopment of Non Conforming Industrial Areas policy, which will be implemented in three phases, the CM announced.
In the first phase, a panel of consultants will be established, and industrial associations can choose a consultant from the panel. The Delhi Government will bear 90% of the consultant's cost, while the remaining 10% will be contributed by the associations. CM Shri Arvind Kejriwal emphasised the importance of active involvement from industrialists in drafting the redevelopment plan, highlighting the need for compromise and collaboration.
The second phase will focus on developing basic facilities in the area, including roads, sewer lines, water lines, and electricity. The third phase will involve the construction of common facilities such as community halls, training centres, and research centres. The government aims to transform all 26 non conforming industrial areas into world-class centres, leading to increased job creation and economic growth.
Shri Arvind Kejriwal further said the industrialists will have to be actively involved in the drafting of this redevelopment plan. If a road needs to be constructed then someone might lose a bit of land, if common facilities need to be constructed, then someone might lose some land. If you are not ready for this, then this development plan will not work, he said.
The CM urged the industrialists to seize this historic opportunity and actively participate in the redevelopment of their areas. "The government's vision is to eliminate the non conforming status of these areas and facilitate rapid growth and development. The success of this initiative will not only benefit the industrialists but also contribute to increased tax revenue and job creation in Delhi. Once transformed, they will firstly no longer be non conforming areas. And secondly, in such areas with your partnership can be very swift. This will lead to job creation with a multiplier effect. We believe that if today 5 lakh people are working, then in the future it could be 10, even 15 lakh," the CM said
These are non-conforming industrial areas in Delhi:
There are a total of 26 non-conforming industrial areas in Delhi, including Anand Parbat, Shahdara, Samaypur Badli, Jawahar Nagar, Sultanpur Majra, Hastsal Pocket-A, Hastsal Pocket-D, Naresh Park Extension, Libaspur, Pira Garhi Gaon, Khayala, Shalimar Gaon, New Mandoli, Nawada, Rithala, Swarn Park Mundka, Haiderpur, Karawal Nagar, Dabri, Basai Darapur, Prahlaadpur Bangar, Mundka Udyog Nagar Dakshin, Firni Road Mundka, Nangli Sakrawati, and Tikri Kalan. Along with this, the resettlement of the Mundka (North) cluster is planned for the godown cluster. The notification process for all these non-conforming industrial areas started in 1990 and continued until 2021.
Under the Delhi Master Plan 2021, notifications have been issued for the reKejriwal Government unveils a historic initiative — millions of employment opportunities to be created by transforming non-conforming industrial areasdevelopment of non-conforming industrial areas and industrial and warehouse clusters. It includes several rules and provisions. The first requirement for a non-conforming industrial area is that it should cover a minimum of 4 hectares of land. Based on the survey, industrial activity should be present on more than 70% of the land within the cluster to be eligible for redevelopment. After the notification of such clusters by the National Capital Delhi, their redevelopment will be prepared based on the advice of the society, local authorities, and land-owning agencies. So far, the 26 non-conforming industrial areas in Delhi have been notified for redevelopment. Non-conforming clusters with warehouses or warehousing activities, where the area is around 2 hectares and there are more than 55% industrial plots within the cluster, can be identified and redeveloped based on an actual survey. Under this provision, the Mundka (North) warehouse cluster has been notified for redevelopment.
