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Property acquisition power for MCD mooted

By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI DEC. 9. The Vijender Kumar Gupta Sub-Committee of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi on unauthorised constructions today recommended that the civic body be given "powers to acquire'' all the residential-turned-commercial properties of the Capital which are of more than 300 square metres and on major roads.

In its report submitted to the Standing Committee of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, the sub-committee recommended amendments to the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act in this regard. The Standing Committee Chairman, Ram Babu Sharma, had constituted the sub-committee last week.

Besides the senior Bharatiya Janata Party Councillor, Vijender Kumar, the other members of the sub-committee are the Standing Committee Deputy Chaiman, Ashok Jain, the Appointments Committee Chairman, Braj Mohan Sharma, and the Rohini Zone Chairman, Roshan Lal Ahuja. The last three are from the ruling Congress.

The sub-committee held only one meeting and among those present on the occasion were the Municipal Commissioner, Rakesh Mehta, senior officials from the Delhi Government and the Delhi police.

In its report, which has been sent to Mr. Mehta for necessary action, the sub-committee recommended use of GIS (Geographic Information System) map being prepared by the Delhi Government. "This would help in identifying all such properties in the city,'' the report said.

The two-page report recommended strict preventive measures in areas with less than 25 per cent commercialisation in the locality facing main roads resulting in parking problems and traffic congestion.

In his speech, Mr. Mehta favoured the recommendations of the sub-committee and even went a step ahead to recommend that all commercial properties in residential area not only be acquired, but also be demolished and then the property be finally auctioned. "There is a need to stop the menace of unauthorised constructions in the Capital,'' he said, adding a GIS application centre was being set up in the MCD for this purpose.

Earlier, Ram Babu Sharma asked Mr. Mehta not to take strong action against marriages at farmhouses in Delhi at least till December 12. Raising the issue, Mr. Braj Mohan Sharma complained that a large number of people were facing problems as the MCD staff and those from the police harassed them for conducting marriages in farmhouses.

In his farewell speech, Mr. Ram Babu, who has been elected from the Rohtas Nagar Assembly constituency, thanked all members of the Standing Committee for their co-operation during his tenure of one year and nine months. "Without your co-operation, we could not have unleashed the reforms in the gigantic civic body,'' he said. Prominent among the reforms include privatisation of toll-tax, computerisation and e-facilities, mid-day meal scheme, and decentralisation of power.

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