1 week ago
Delhi’s 2047 Master Plan Promises Access, Lacks Disability KPI
Delhi has made a new plan for how the city should grow until 2047.
The plan says buildings, streets and public places should be easier for people with disabilities to use.
It also asks schools, parking areas and spaces near metro stations to follow accessibility rules.
However, the plan does not have a separate score for checking whether accessibility goals are being met.
Experts worry that different agencies may make separate parts of a journey accessible while leaving gaps between them.
They say people should be able to travel from home to pavements, public transport, workplaces or hospitals and back safely.
One expert also warned that special accessible facilities should not replace inclusion in ordinary schools, parks and transport.
Officials have said people with disabilities were consulted and that accessibility rules are included in the plan’s core development standards.
MPD-2047 requires barrier-free standards for buildings across all land-use categories.
The plan calls for inclusive pedestrian infrastructure prioritising people with disabilities, older adults and children.
Schools must follow the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, while public parking must reserve spaces for disabled people.
Metro and transit areas are supposed to provide safe, barrier-free and walkable access through Multi-Modal Integration plans.
Experts welcomed the commitments but criticised the absence of a dedicated accessibility KPI among the plan’s 20 monitoring indicators.
- Who
- The Delhi Development Authority prepared MPD-2047; Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Manohar Lal unveiled it, and disability experts raised concerns.
- What
- Delhi’s new master plan sets barrier-free design and universal-access commitments but lacks a dedicated disability accessibility KPI.
- Where
- Delhi, including its buildings, streets, public spaces, schools, parking areas and transit zones.
- When
- The plan was unveiled on August 20 and was reported as recently notified on September 2.
- Why
- To guide Delhi’s development through 2047 and monitor progress on the plan’s objectives.
Plan Commitments
Expert Concerns
Accessibility standards
Plan Commitments
MPD-2047 incorporates barrier-free design into core development control norms, applying on paper to new construction across the city.
Expert Concerns
Experts question whether written commitments will make Delhi genuinely navigable end-to-end for people with disabilities.
Measuring progress
Plan Commitments
The plan includes 20 KPIs covering issues such as transport, pollution, housing, safety and public spaces, alongside detailed accessibility provisions.
Expert Concerns
Experts say accessibility needs its own KPI; without one, implementation may be difficult to track and enforce.
Accessible journeys
Plan Commitments
The plan calls for inclusive streets, pedestrian infrastructure and barrier-free access around transit stations, while officials say disability groups were consulted.
Expert Concerns
Experts warn that separate agencies control different parts of a journey and that one inaccessible pavement, crossing or station entrance can break the route.
Key facts
- Plan
- Master Plan for Delhi 2047 (MPD-2047)
- Prepared by
- Delhi Development Authority
- Unveiled by
- Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Manohar Lal
- Monitoring framework
- The plan proposes 20 suggestive Key Performance Indicators.
- Accessibility gap
- Experts say none of the 20 KPIs separately measures accessibility for persons with disabilities.
- Building requirement
- Buildings across land-use categories must follow space standards for a barrier-free built environment.
- Transit requirement
- Multi-Modal Integration plans around metro and transit stations must provide safe, barrier-free and walkable access.
Quotes
Puneet Singh Singhal
Founder of Green Disability
“Accessibility should be measured through the experience of a complete journey. From leaving home and navigating the pavement, to crossing a road, reaching public transport, entering a workplace or hospital and returning home safely and independently”
theprint.in
“The risk is that we create designated accessible facilities instead of making mainstream schools, parks, transport and public spaces inclusive by default”
theprint.in
Sources
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