NEW DELHI: The running battle between the Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee and the Delhi Government shows no sign of a ceasefire. In a strongly worded letter to Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, DPCC president Ram Babu Sharma has accused her Government and the Industry and Labour Minister, Mangat Ram Singhal, of tarnishing the image of the party and dragging the office of the Lieutenant-Governor into controversy by issuing irresponsible statements.

In his letter to Ms. Dikshit, the DPCC president has stated that he was surprised and shocked to see press statements attributed to Mr. Singhal where he had made the announcement that only seven residential areas with 70 per cent industrial units would be regularised as the Lieutenant-Governor had approved only seven areas out of the list of 23 sent to him. The 16 others were referred back to the Government for reconsideration. The Minister also said that the remaining areas were unlikely to be considered for notification.

"The Minister's irresponsible statements have not only put the Lieutenant-Governor in an embarrassing situation but has also ruined the image of the party. The Lieutenant Governor is an appointee of the Congress-led United Progress Alliance Government and passing on the blame for the non-regularisation of the industrial areas on him amounts to blaming our own Congress party,'' he wrote.

Mr. Sharma said it had come to his knowledge that the Lieutenant-Governor had sought certain papers and clarifications about the 23 industrial areas listed for notification but Mr. Singhal deliberately misrepresented facts and did not pass on the relevant documents the Lieutenant-Governor had asked for verification.

Mr. Sharma pointed out to the Chief Minister that the 23 areas already identified include Tri Nagar, Vishwas Nagar and Nangli Sakravati which also have a concentration of over 70 per cent industrial units and these areas should be notified as industrial areas without further delay. "But Mr. Singhal has deliberately shown the concentration of industrial units in these three areas as less than 70 per cent and it is strongly recommended for inclusion of these areas too for necessary notification."

No discrimination should be made in the notification for the industrial areas as it will send out a wrong message and bring the party a bad name. "Mr. Singhal's statement has brought a bad name to the Lieutenant-Governor which is totally unwarranted. Several delegations of industrial unit owners have conveyed to me their serious concern over this statement that could have widespread repercussions for the Congress party,'' he added.

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