NEW DELHI: After drawing much flak from the Supreme Court and the Delhi High Court over commercialisation of residential properties and misuse of farmhouses for marriages and other social functions respectively, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi on Wednesday urged Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit and Lieutenant-Governor B. L. Joshi to immediately initiate the process for framing guidelines and making proper policies for the same.

The three top political leaders of the civic body -- Mayor Satbir Singh, Standing Committee Chairman Mukesh Goel and MCD House leader Jitender Kochar -- first met Ms. Dikshit and later called on Mr. Joshi, urging them to tackle the two issues on a priority basis and inform the courts about it so that any decision that could have an adverse impact on Delhiites could be averted. According to the Mayor, they urged Ms. Dikshit to immediately convene a joint meeting of all agencies concerned including the Delhi Government, Union Ministry of Urban Development, Delhi Development Authority, Delhi Police and MCD so that all issues related to the two problems could be discussed and common policy and guidelines framed that was acceptable to all. "Such efforts will help the court's giving a people-friendly decision so that the interests of all concerned are taken care of."

Stating that massive commercialisation of residential areas and farmhouses in the city was the result of growing needs of the fast increasing population of the Capital, Mr. Singh said any strict action against faulty shop-owners in residential areas would affect the livelihood of over 5-lakh families across the city, while not allowing marriages at farmhouses would cause social problems as there was very little space left for such functions in the Capital.

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