The Hindu : New Delhi News : PM urged to regularise small industries

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Sep 15, 2004

New Delhi

New Delhi

PM urged to regularise small industries

By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI, SEPT. 14. The former Prime Minister, V.P. Singh, and the senior CPM leader, Sitaram Yechuri, on Monday urged the Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, for in situ regularisation of small industries in Delhi as their closure or relocation would hit the "livelihood" of lakhs of industrial labourers and "starve" their family members.

Leading a delegation of the Delhi Laghu Udyog Manch, Mr. Singh and Mr. Yechuri, along with the CPI secretary, Amarjeet Kaur, supported the decision of the Delhi Government to regularise those areas which have more than 70 per cent industries.

Speaking to the media after the meeting, the delegation members said the Prime Minister gave a sympathetic hearing and "informed" them that he has called the Union Urban Development Minister, Ghulam Nabi Azad, and the Delhi Chief Minister, Sheila Dikshit, for a meeting on this issue on Tuesday.

In its order dated May 8, 2004, the Apex Court had asked the Union and the Delhi Governments to close down -- in phases -- various categories of industries that came up in the Capital after August 1, 1990.

"The coming up of household industries in the Capital, which are now facing closure, is not due to the fault of the poor labourers. It is because of the complete failure of the Delhi Development Authority, which has not developed 1,500 hectares for general industries and 250 hectares of intensive industries according to the provisions of the Delhi Master Plan. Had these areas been developed, small scale industries would not have come up in these residential areas," Mr. Singh alleged. "Lakhs of poor labourers and thousands of small scale industries should not be penalised for no faults of theirs," he argued.

Mr. Yechuri said once the Delhi Government has decided that all residential areas, which had more than 70 per cent industries, be declared as industrial, the ball was in the court of the Union Government.

"The Union Urban Development Ministry should take appropriate steps to ensure that the decisions of the Delhi Government were implemented and lakhs of labourers prevented from starvation," he said. Ms. Kaur claimed that nearly 35 lakh people of the Capital would be hit if the Supreme Court's order were enforced.

The Supreme Court had in its order of September 8 directed the closure of intensive industries that came up after August 1, 1990, within four months, "light and service" industries within five months and impermissible household industries within six months.

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