MCD acted against half of illegal structures booked since ''08

New Delhi, Feb 27 (PTI) The MCD, which often receivesflak for allowing illegal structures to come up in the city,has acted against only half of the unauthorised properties itbooked since 2008.

As per the reports received from zonal offices, duringthe last three years and the current year, 10,416 propertieswere booked on account of unauthorised constructions of whichdemolition or sealing action has been taken against 5,399properties, official sources said.

If year-wise details are taken into account, in 2008,2,039 properties were booked and action taken against 1,256properties. The figure was 3,979 and 1,522 in 2009 and 4,153and 2,402 in 2010.

However, in 2011, action has been taken against 219properties out of the 245 booked, which shows that the MCD hasbecome more active since the November 2010 mishap when amulti-storeyed building with illegal floors collapsed in eastDelhi killing 71 people. After that incident, the civic bodyfaced all-round criticism over unchecked growth ofunauthorised constructions in the national capital.

Delhi Police registered 41 cases and arrested 49 peoplefor carrying out unauthorised constructions in 2010 while thefigures were 21 and 25 respectively, in 2009. However, in thefirst one month of 2011, no such case was registered.

During the period from 2008 till now, New DelhiMunicipal Council received 405 complaints of unauthorisedconstructions, while the Delhi Cantonment Board reported 150such cases since 2007-08, the sources said.