Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri on Tuesday joined in the criticism of the Supreme Court-appointed committee monitoring the sealing of commercial premises in Delhi that are violating the law, saying that the officials “work in air-conditioned offices and do not know the ground realities”.
In a report submitted to the apex court on April 16, a copy of which is with The Hindu , the committee said that commercial buildings in unauthorised colonies should be demolished, and all changes in the Delhi Master Plan (DMP)-2021 should be rolled back.
On Tuesday, the Supreme Court stopped all construction in 1,797 unauthorised colonies of Delhi and refused to vacate its stay on amendments to the master plan.
The committee, which was revived by the Supreme Court in December 2017, is responsible for sealing business establishments using residential premises for commercial use, having illegal constructions or encroachments, and other violations of DMP-2021.
Widespread protest
The sealing drive is being carried out by the BJP-led municipal corporations, and has led to widespread protests by affected traders.
Last month, Delhi legislators cutting across party lines, had criticised the chaos caused, and asked the monitoring committee to stay the sealing drive.
Mr. Puri has now added a central government voice to the criticism of the monitoring committee. He was speaking at an event to lay the foundation stone of Kathputli Colony, a slum cluster which is being redeveloped after a demolition drive by the DDA last October triggered clashes between the residents and the police.
“Sealing committee and many others, who work in air-conditioned offices and do not know the ground realities, don't understand that people from rural areas are coming to urban spaces for better opportunities,” said Mr. Puri.
In its April 16 report to the court, the panel slammed the proposal to set up a special task force under the leadership of the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) to oversee enforcement of the modified Delhi master plan, saying it was “nothing but an attempt to postpone the implementation of various laws and allowing the government to maintain status-quo for the time-being which will ultimately aggravate the situation in the near future.”
It suggested that a neutral agency be set up instead of a task force that is composed of the same agencies who had “abdicated their duties in the past”.
