Delhi Assembly resolves to stop demolitions

As the Municipal Corporation of Delhi continued to bulldoze illegal structures, Delhi government on Tuesday announced it will approach the High Court to seek more time to deal with the issue of illegal constructions even as the Assembly passed a resolution seeking an immediate stop to the demolition drive.

Cutting across party lines, members of the legislative assembly moved a resolution in the House on Tuesday under Rule 107 for putting a stop to the demolitions, which saw a marathon seven-hour discussion on the issue, with close to 40 legislators urging the government to stop houses and shops from being demolished.

The resolution was passed unanimously by voice vote.      

Taking part in the discussion, Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit said her government will go to court to seek more time in the matter.

"We need to go to court, and in a day or two, we will work out something," she told the House.

Dikshit said only the court could give immediate relief as the draft Master Plan for Delhi-2021, providing for mixed land use, will take six to eight months to get notified.      

The Chief Minister said her government was consulting lawyers and was also in contact with the Centre and Delhi Development Authority on the issue.

Dikshit reassured that small houses and shops were not being touched in the demolition drive and that the focus was on ongoing constructions that were against the norms.

She also hit out at the "carelessness" of local bodies, apparently referring to the MCD and DDA, saying that the repurcussions were being felt now, and also pointed at the "builder-official" nexus as being responsible for the present situation.

Dikshit also informed that zonal committees were being formed with help from the High Court, comprising officials and people's representatives, to keep a watch to prevent unauthorised constructions from coming up in the future.

However, at this point, Bharatiya Janata Party MLAs demanded the Chief Minister that she directed the MCD Commissioner to put an immediate stop to the demolitions and also raised slogans protesting the action against illegal constructions.

BJP MLA Kulwant Rana was marshalled out of the House as he continued to raise slogans.

The resolution was moved by MLAs Mukesh Sharma (Congress), Ramvir Singh Bidhuri (Nationalist Congress Party) and Harsharan Singh Balli (BJP).

Earlier, noisy scenes were witnessed as BJP legislators protested Congress' Mukesh Sharma allegation that the policies of the National Democratic Alliance government were responsible for the present situation.

Leader of Opposition Jagdish Mukhi charged the Congress government and MCD with "colluding" with mall owners and alleged that deliberately the Supreme Court, which has kept its judgment reserved on allowing shops in residential areas, was not properly apprised of the MPD-2021 that has provision for mixed land use.

He also criticised Delhi government for not accepting the Vijay Kumar Malhotra Committee's Second Report, which recommends an 'amnesty scheme' for additional constructions made in small houses.

"Our demand is that the MPD 2021 should be immediately notified, business activity should be allowed in residential areas and the V K Malhotra Committee's report should be implemented," Mukhi said.

Presenting the government's stand on the issue, Urban Development Minister A K Walia said a "practical solution" had to be worked out and invited written suggestions in the matter from the legislators.

He lamented the fact that police and land were not under Delhi government, which posed difficulties in solving problems such as the issue of housing.

Walia said the government was in complete agreement with the resolution moved, after which it was put to vote and passed unanimously.