The Hindu : New Delhi News : Action plan to shift chemicals, paper markets

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Mar 01, 2005

New Delhi

New Delhi

Action plan to shift chemicals, paper markets

By Sujay Mehdudia

NEW DELHI, FEB. 28. In a major decision aimed at preventing any further fire disasters and to decongest the city of hazardous markets and godowns, the Government is understood to have prepared an action plan to shift out the chemicals market at Tilak Bazar and Lal Kuan in North Delhi and the paper markets in Chawri Bazar and Sadar Bazar in the Walled City by December 2005.

The Core Group on fire safety headed by the State Chief Secretary, S. Regunathan, has fixed the deadline for shifting of these two markets and the Delhi Development Authority has been asked to allot land at Holambi Kalan for the chemicals market and at Ghazipur for the paper markets. The Lieutenant-Governor, B.L. Joshi, was very keen on shifting out the hazardous markets in the periphery of Delhi after the fire at Kirti Nagar last December that claimed ten lives including that of nine fire personnel. He had also constituted the Core Group with the intention to hurry up the whole process for shifting of markets and ensuring that basic safety measures were put in place by certain categories.

The Core Group meeting that was also attended by the DDA Vice-Chairman, Madhukar Gupta, decided that DDA would arrange for allotment of land at an alternate site while the Municipal Commissioner would ensure that a list of 1,200 chemical godowns in Tilak Bazar was made available to DDA to facilitate allotment of land.

It is understood that MCD has already conducted a survey of the area and identified 887 godowns and the search is on for another 220 godowns. It was also decided that once the land was allotted, MCD would give one month's notice to all these godown owners to shift to the alternate land allotted by DDA. It was decided that all allottees would be required to accept the land allotted to them and those who fail to do so would have the shops and units sealed. However, officials conceded that these deadlines would not be possible to be followed as the traders of Lal Kuan market have gone to court over the high price of land. They want DDA to reduce the price of land, something that has also found favour with the Lieutenant-Governor, who is also the DDA Chairman.

It is understood that Mr. Joshi is of the view that in the larger interest of decongesting a major portion of the Walled City and also preventing any loss of life and property in future, DDA could consider reduction in the land price for individual allottees to encourage them to shift to Holambi Kalan.

Officials felt that after the land dispute was settled, it would take six to nine months for the whole process to be completed. Three months would be given to the various parties to pay up the money and six months would be given to them to vacate the site. It was felt that the Government agencies should try and adhere to various deadlines so that the whole exercise is completed within the stipulated period.

As for the shifting of paper markets from Sadar Bazar and Chawri Bazar, it was decided that DDA would provide land for the same at Ghazipur at the earliest so that the process for shifting this fire hazardous market is taken within a limited time frame. It was decided that DDA would come out with an action plan on the issue of allotment of land and take necessary steps the start the process on a war footing.

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