Maximum construction shall be regularised, says Centre

New Delhi, Aug 23 (UNI) Dismissing all concerns that the Master Plan for 2021 would lead to further congestion of Delhi, the Centre today said it was trying it best to allow maximum construction in the capital to meet the growing housing needs of the people.

''The people of Delhi cannot for sometime live like people in European countries,'' Union Urban Development Minister Jaipal Reddy said here.

He was replying to the points made by senior Member Sharad Yadav of JD(U)in his supplementary during the Question Hour in the Rajya Sabha.

''We are keen to see that most of the construction is regularised,'' Mr Reddy said, adding that it would not be possible to provide the same standards here as in the European countries.

Mr Yadav had observed that the rules and regulations made by the House had been openly flouted leading to the destruction of the city.

The Minister said that under the new Master Plan, ground plus three floors had been made legal while under the 2001 Plan, only two floor were allowed in addition to the ground floor.

''When we talk of maximum construction, we mean maximum cases,'' he said. adding that the matter, was however before the Supreme Court.

Mr Reddy also bluntly rejected Ms Sushma Swaraj's suggestion for implementing the Vijay Kumar Malhotra Committee recommendations, saying the report had been rejected with contempt by her own NDA Government.

''It is rather we who have incorporated some of the committee's recommendations,'' he sought to point out.

Mr Jai Prakash Agarwal of Mr Redy's own party Congress said he was very much dissatisfied with the Minister's reply, relating to payment of penalty and compounding charges, and wanted to know which authority would be taking these amounts.

Mr Reddy, in his reply, had said that plot owners/allottees seeking regularisation of construction in terms of additional coverage/additional height were required to pay a penalty, conpounding charges and beterment levy or additional FAR charges as well as special compounding charges at the rates notified by the Government for the purpose. But, he had said, all that was subject to the orders of the Supreme Court.

Replying to another question, he said hanging projections would be regularised if they do not encroach upon public land.

UNI