'Allow demolished properties to be re-built'

New Delhi, June 19: Taking up cudgels for people whose unauthorised dwellings were demolished by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi during its demolition drive, Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee chief Rambabu Sharma today said re-construction of all these structures should be allowed.

Criticising the statement of MCD commissioner A K Nigam that all the unauthorised properties razed by the corporation in course of the demolition drive would not be allowed to be re-built, Mr Sharma told UNI that ''the Delhi Laws (Special Provisions) Act, 2006 provides for maintaining status quo with regard to the unauthorised structures that came up in Delhi upto January 1, 2006.

This means that the structures which were brought down during the demolition drive by the MCD should also be allowed to be re-built.'' Refuting the criticism of the BJP that Congress was continuing to keep the owners of demolished properties in a state of confusion, Mr Sharma said it is the Congress that had taken the initiative to ensure the passage of the Bill in Parliament to bring relief to people of Delhi on the issue of demolition of unauthorised structures and commercial units in residential areas.

Mr Sharma's statement comes close on the heels of a statement by Delhi BJP Pradesh president Harsh Vardhan demanding that the Union Urban Development Minister Jaipal Reddy grant permission for reconstruction of those houses which demolished during the MCD drive.

Dr Harsh Vardhan also sugegsted that the Government might also make available compensation to owners of these properties equal to their market price.

Delhi Laws (Special Provisions) Act, 2006 provides for a one year moratorium on the process of demolition of unauthorised constructions that came up in Delhi prior to January 1, 2006.

However, even after the coming into force of the law last month, an element of uncertaintly has prevailed over whether the MCD would re-built those unauthorised structures razed during its demolition drive.

UNI