Policy for unplanned industrial areas

The Delhi government is planning to form a policy for 22 unplanned industrial areas in the national capital.

As per the provisions of the Master Plan of Delhi, 2021 and a Supreme Court’s order, only non-polluting industries (green category) are allowed in Delhi’s periphery. But in a number of clusters many polluting industries are operating illegally.

"Many of these are redevelopment areas. Factories kept coming up here and it was later noticed that 75 per cent of the areas is being used for industrial activity," an official said.

Redevelopment areas are unplanned industrial areas which were not a part of the planned development activities of the government agencies such as Libaspur, Shahdara, etc.

The Delhi State Industrial and Infrastructural Development Corporation (DSIIDC) had in 2010 decided to redevelop these areas, which are not a part of the planned development activities of government agencies. As per the provisions of the Master Plan 2021 and the units operating in these areas had to provide funds for their own development.

However, the official said nothing concrete has been done so far in this direction.  "We have deliberated upon it a number of times and now we have to take a serious view now on these clusters. It is in the government's agenda and we are thinking of bringing a common policy for these 22 areas," the official said.

These areas do not have metalled roads and lack civic amenities like water supply, sewerage, and drains. Moreover, there are many locations where the demarcation between the residential and industrial areas is blurred and illegal factories are operating 24/7 very close to houses located in the vicinity.

According to the Master Plan, industries should no longer be allowed in residential areas but the guidelines do not seem to be followed in these areas.

Deccan Herald had reported in June how in one such area, Mandoli, illegal factories are choking the locality and there is hardly a distance of 50 metres between the houses and factories.

The official said that all the departments concerned such as DSIIDC, Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC), and Delhi Development Authority (DDA) have to coordinate on the issue.