Over 6,000 properties sealed in Delhi on monitoring panel's instructions till Jan

NEW DELHI: The Delhi Assembly panel on civic bodies informed the house that in Delhi the Supreme Court-appointed monitoring committee sealed over 6,000 properties between December 2017 and January. The House Committee on Municipal Corporations in Delhi also observed that "violation of mixed land use" provision is "one of the main reasons" for the "present mess" of sealing.

Sealing drives had been conducted by the civic bodies, including the North, South and East Corporations or the NDMC, SDMC and EDMC in their areas respectively since December 2017, sparking protests by various traders at different times, and later turning into a political issue.

According to the report, the total number of properties sealed in areas falling under the three corporations till January 31, is — 2,716 (North MCD), 2,112 (SDMC) and 1,479 (EDMC).

The number of properties de-sealed on the monitoring committee's instructions are — 158 (North MCD), 170 (SDMC) and 6 (EDMC). "The Committee observes that had the provisions of Master Plan of Delhi 2021 been implemented in totality, the present mess of sealing would not have arisen," the panel said.

The sealing has been a major political flashpoint between the ruling AAP and BJP. While the AAP alleged that the Center is unwilling to bring an ordinance to stop the sealing drive, the BJP alleged that AAP is doing politics over the issue. Delhi BJP Chief Manoj Tiwari also broke a sealed shop and faced the Supreme Court.

"We met the SC-appointed panel and urged them to submit the numbers. It is the

panel's finding and then we

have submitted the whole matter to the house," said a member. The members also clarified

that all the data have been discussed with the appropriate authorities.

The members of the SC-appointed panel said that they followed a rule to finalise the properties which should be sealed. "We have maintained the rules from the first day as discussed with the Supreme Court. We also inform the police and civic authorities before conducting the sealing at any market area," said an official. However, various market authorities in Delhi and the association claimed that the number presented at the House is lower than the exact. "We think the numbers are high because there were shops which were partially sealed but it would be difficult to comment on the numbers before looking at the report. The market associations would request the authorities to provide us with the documents only after that we can comment on the matter," said a member of a market association.