MillenniumPost
Delhi

'Sealing should have been done in a constructive way'

NEW DELHI: Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Wednesday criticised the sealing drive in Delhi, saying that it should have been done in a constructive manner.
The Minister's remarks came a day after he had lashed out on members of the Supreme Court-appointed Monitoring Committee for carrying out sealing drive worked from air-conditioned offices and not knowing ground realities.
"Do you know how many people have lost their jobs? Till you don't understand the ground realities, there is no point talking on technicalities. There have been instances of those properties being sealed for which the conversion charges have already been paid. There are many cases where the properties sealed had to be de-sealed later," Puri told reporters on the sidelines of an event here to mark the 48th Foundation Day of Housing and Urban Development Corporation.
The sealing drive by the BJP-run Municipal Corporations of Delhi were initiated last December, on the directions of the apex court.
Commercial premises, including shops and restaurants, were sealed for failing to deposit conversion charges according to provisions in the Master Plan Delhi-2021 (MPD).
"I don't want to interfere with the process or direction of the Court. But it is our responsibility to understand the issue holistically," Puri said on Wednesday.
He added that nobody disagrees with the court's order to stop construction-related activities in the unauthorised colonies. "But there are ground realities. Why are people poor? Why are they living in sub-standard houses? These are real human issues and need to be resolved," he said.
Puri also exuded confidence that the apex court would lift a stay on proposed amendments by the Delhi Development Authority in the MPD, which was aimed at granting protection from the sealing drive.
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