'Party-ruled civic bodies to soon start de-sealing of residential properties'

New Delhi: Delhi BJP president Adesh Gupta on Friday said the party-ruled civic bodies will soon start de-sealing of thousands of residential properties sealed under directions of a Supreme Court-appointed monitoring committee.

At a press briefing, Gupta and his predecessor as well as northeast Delhi MP Manoj Tiwari also welcomed the apex court's directions to the monitoring committee last week.

The Supreme Court had last week said encroachment is a matter of concern but the monitoring committee, set up in 2006 to identify unauthorised structures and check misuse of residential properties in Delhi, "cannot exceed its power" and take any action beyond its authorisation.

A bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra had said at no point of time, the apex court has empowered the monitoring committee to take action with regard to "residential premises not used for commercial purpose" and it is not authorised to take action concerning residential premises situated on private land.

The committee supervised the sealing drive against violations of Delhi's Master Plan, undertaken by the municipal corporations, started in 2017.

"We have directed the three municipal corporations to immediately start the de-sealing process. It will benefit 6,000 residential properties sealed under directions of the monitoring committee," Gupta said.

Delhi BJP has been "opposing" the work done by the monitoring committee "outside its jurisdiction" since the beginning, Gupta said.