MCD for exempting 229 roads under mixed land use clause

New Delhi, Mar 31 (UNI) Acting on the powers conferred on it by the Union Urban Development Ministry in its notification on March 28, the Standing Committee of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi today passed a resolution allowing mixed land use in 229 roads with 80 ft or more even as the Opposition BJP alleged that the measure would not bring any relief to the traders.

The 229 roads were identified by the MCD following the directions of the Supreme court to the corporation to carry out a survey of all such areas where commercial activities were being carried out in more than 50 per cent areas.

Talking to reporters later, the chairman of the Standing committee Mukesh Goel said the resolution would now go to the Delhi government for its approval after which it would be sent to the Lieutenant Governor B L Joshi for notification of the areas.

The resolution was intorduced in the Standing Committee by leader of the House Jitender Kochar.

Asked as to what took the MCD so much time to bring in such a resolution considering that more than 40 days had passed since the Supreme Court order of February 16, Mr Kochar said,''this resultion has come now since it is only under its March 28 notification that the Ministry of Urban development granted powers to the MCD to issue a notificatiobn allowing mixed land use in certain areas, a power which was earlier vested with the DDA.''

Talking to reporters, BJP member of the Standing Committee, Vijender Gupta, however, alleged that the measure would not bring any relief to the traders. ''Nothing will be achieved by the meeting of the Standing Committee. No relief is expected to come the way of the people. This is because, like all the previous resolutions passed by the MCD House, the resolution passed today is irrelevant and without any legal basis whatsoever and hence is likely to remain merely on paper,''Mr Gupta said.

''In any case, the resolution, as the March 28 notification by the Ministry for Urban Development, has come quite late in the day.

Since the court direction came more than a month ago, on February 16, what took them such a long time in coming out with the notification,''Mr Gupta asked and charged the MCD government of indulging in politicking even as the city was burning with common people and small traders constantly living under the fear of and agitating against the sealing action by the MCD.

''The Congress Party had ample time after the Supreme court order to take decision in respect of relaxation provided to the affected traders. However, the same was intentionally delayed and the so called order to extend relaxations have been issued in the nick of time when the MCD staff has already satrted sealing action, as per the public notice issued by the MCD on February 26 and March 2.

He demanded the resignation of Union Urban development Minister Ajay Maken and Delhi Mayor Satbir Singh as also that of Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit on the issue.

UNI