Free MCD land to rehabilitate traders: Councillor

New Delhi, Nov 29: After failing to stop sealing of shops in residential areas the capital the Municipal Corporation of Delhi is making all out efforts to ensure the rehabilitation of traders affected by the sealing drive.

A suggestion in this regard was put forward by MCD councillor Sanjay Puri in a meeting of the Standing Committee of the body when he called upon the administration to free hundreds of acres of MCD land in Delhi from encroachment so as to utilise this space for setting up shops for traders whose commercial premises have been sealed.

''The MCD should also endeavour to set up banquet halls in the land owned by it in the capital to meet the huge need of space for social functions, following the sealing of the Banquet halls,''Mr Puri added.

In this context, he called upon the administration to speed up efforts to free from encroachment hundreds of acres of MCD land in Delhi, a proposal which was echoed by members cutting across party lines.

Speaking on the issue, Leader of the House Jitender Kochar said,''the administration should make a list of places where the MCD owns land and also where the corporation land is under encroachment. This huge expanse of land can be put to use by the MCD for earning revenue as well as for the purpose of rehabilitating traders.'' Acceeding to the members' opinion, Standing Committee Chairman Jai Kishen Sharma directed the commissioner to submit on the floor of the House by Monday, a list of the MCD land all over Delhi, which was presently under encroachment.

''Hundereds of acres of land owned by the MCD in Delhi is under encroachment. While focussing on sealing of shops, the matter of freeing corporation land from encroachment has been ignored. This should be addressed immediately,''Mr Sharma said and called for a special meeting of the committee on Monday to decide on ways to utilise the land, including the rehabilitation of the traders.

In the meeting, members also expressed concern over the sealing of shops located in DDA flats during the ongoing sealing drive. They also voiced their concern over sealing shops dealing with essential items whereas the September 7 Urban Development Ministry notification removed shops in several of these categories from the purview.

''The Commissioner should apprise the Monitoring Committee of the feeling of the members that shops in DDA flats as well as those dealing with essential items not be sealed,''Mr Sharma said.

In a statement on the issue, Additional commissioner Parimal Rai said the sealing of shops in Delhi was as per the directions of the Supreme Court-appointed Monitoring committee ''The sealing of shops in DDA flats is as per the directions of the Monitoring Committee,''Mr Rai said.

However, he said the administration would convey the views of the members before the Monitoring Committee and await further directions in the matter.

Meanwhile, in a significant decision, the Mcd decided to exempt from house tax the residential structures in villages in Delhi.

A proposal in this regard was put forward by Leader of the House Jitender Kochar and unanimously passed by the committee.

UNI

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