The Hindu : New Delhi News : Civic body tries to buy time

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Feb 24, 2006

New Delhi

New Delhi

Civic body tries to buy time

Staff Reporter

Files affidavit seeking to target major defaulters

NEW DELHI: To seek relief for minor building by-laws defaulters from the Delhi High Court, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi and the Union Urban Development Ministry have filed an affidavit in the court seeking to target just major defaulters and ongoing illegal constructions for the next three months till the report of the Centre's high-powered committee on illegal constructions is ready.

In its affidavit, both the parties have stated that demolition squads would target major violators falling in three different categories -- encroachments on public land, ongoing illegal constructions across the city and major misuse of residential properties for commercial purposes. The affidavit comes after the appointment of the five-member high-power technical committee headed by former Lieutenant-Governor of Delhi Tejinder Khanna to look into the issue of illegal buildings and constructions, violation of building by-laws and ways to regularise structures faced with demolitions.

The Committee that has come into being following directions from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will submit its report within three months. Through this affidavit, which is likely to come up for hearing on Friday, the civic body as well as the Centre will try to buy some time on the issue of ongoing demolitions so that some relief could be provided to minor defaulters.

The Centre has reportedly stated that residential buildings housing commercial establishments in half or more than half of their areas along roads wider than 80 feet be targeted as per the Supreme Court's directions.

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