NEW DELHI: The Delhi Assembly on Friday passed a resolution moved by Nationalist Congress Party MLA Ramvir Singh Bidhuri calling upon the Union Government to take immediate steps to regularise shops and commercial activity in residential areas of the Capital.

So strong was the sentiment of the House over the issue that all members cutting across party lines supported the resolution by Mr. Bidhuri and urged the Delhi Government to immediately send it to the Central Government to apprise it of the sentiments of the House.

The House also unanimously carried out amendments moved by Ram Babu Sharma and Subhash Chopra (Congress) not to displace the `rehri' and `patri' traders and also bring land and DDA under the control of the Delhi Government.

Speaking on the resolution, Mr. Bidhuri at the outset thanked the new Union Minister of State for Urban Development Ajay Maken for taking the bold initiative to involve the elected representatives in the exercise of preparing the Master Plan of Delhi 2021. He said it was at the initiative of Union Urban Development Minister Jaipal Reddy and Mr. Maken that the Union Urban Development Ministry went to the High Court. He said Mr. Maken had convened an all-party meeting to get a feedback from various political representatives on their stand on the Master Plan of Delhi. Asserting that no one should be uprooted, Mr. Bidhuri said if need be the Union Government should bring forth an Ordinance after Parliament takes a break on March 22 to resolve the issue or keep action pending till the Tejinder Khanna Committee submits its report.

He said the new Master Plan should make a provision to regularise all small violations and said provisions should also be made to regularise commercial activity and shops in residential areas of the Capital. Stating that sealing exercise that is scheduled to begin from March 27 would create a lot of bad blood and even result in a confrontation, Mr. Bidhuri said steps should be taken to assuage the feelings of the lakhs of people.

Mr. Ram Babu Sharma said that no displacement of the `rehri' and `partri' traders be allowed to take place till a rehabilitation plan was chalked out for them. He said the Congress party was with the affected people and was trying to find the best possible solution to their problem. Mr. Chopra said it was high time that DDA and land management was brought under the Delhi Government.

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