People should be allowed to deseal shops: Vijay Goel

New Delhi, Feb 6 (UNI) Voicing apprehensions that desealing of shops and properties in Delhi, following the January 30 notification by the Centre, would lead to corruption and harrassment of people, senior BJP leader Vijay Goel today urged the people to deseal their shops and residential properties themselves.

Addressing a press conference here, Mr Goel said that when the Union Government had, under the special provision act of September 15 last year, issued a notification directing stop of sealing and demolition till December 31, 2008 and desealing of properties already sealed, people need not wait for officials to deseal their property, including shops, in unauthorised colonies and in village areas and other areas falling under the notification.

''When the people could seal their property following the Government or court order earlier, why they should not be allowed to deseal it after the Government amends its orders on sealing,'' he contended.

Fearing that the Government officials would seek bribes from the people for desealing their properties, Mr Goel said,''if the people deseal their shops on their own, they will be saved from harrassment and corruption. Moreover, it will spare the Government machinery from doing so.'' He said that if the desealing of shops and properties was not started immediately, he would himself take the lead to deseal properties.

Terming the role of the Supreme Court-appointed Monitoring Committee, in the whole sealing process as "arbitrary" and "dictatorial", Mr Goel said,''the Monitoring Committee is working in a very autocratic manner, surpassing even the powers accorded to them by the Supreme Court. If everything is to be done by the Monitoring Committees and Court Commissioners, then why officials in DDA, MCD and NDMC are being paid high salaries.'' He said if the Monitoring committee continued to function in this manner, he would launch an agitation against them.

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