NEW DELHI: Where is the so-called Ordinance of the Delhi Government on the issue of giving relief to those facing sealing of commercial establishments in residential areas of the Capital? This is the question being asked in political and administrative circles here. The Union Urban Development Ministry has made it clear that it has not received any such draft Ordinance or intimation from the Delhi Government as was being claimed by the loyalists of Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit.

Highly placed sources said after the Chief Minister had stated that she had sought an Ordinance on the issue way back in February and the claims by her loyalist MLAs that the delay was on the part of the Union Government, the Union Urban Development Ministry had cross-checked its records and found that nothing of this sort had been received from the Delhi Government. Despite intervention of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi in the matter, the Delhi Government has failed to act on the issue and take necessary action to send across a message that it was in favour of granting relief to the people of Delhi. "Instead of MLAs going on a hunger strike after the intervention by Dr. Singh and Ms. Gandhi, the Chief Minister should have led a delegation of MLAs to the party leadership or the Prime Minister to seek relief for the people," said a senior Congress leader.

Interestingly, a close aide of the Chief Minister and Hauz Khas MLA Kiran Walia had claimed during a media briefing that Ms. Dikshit had already sent the draft Ordinance on sealing and it was being delayed at the Centre. According to officials in the Urban Development Ministry, they have still not received any communication on the issue of sealing from the Delhi Government and had learnt about such a move only from the media. "There is a deliberate campaign to blame the Union Government. Otherwise what is the reason that Congress MLAs are sitting on hunger strike against their own UPA Government even after the Prime Minister has given an assurance and intervened in the matter?" say officials.

Officials said what Union Urban Development Minister Jaipal Reddy had received from the Chief Minister on February 3 was a letter seeking an Ordinance on the issue of demolitions in the Capital. Thereafter there had been no communication on the issue of demolitions or sealing in the Capital.

"Any piece of proposed legislation or Ordinance has to be discussed and passed in the Delhi Cabinet. Then it has to be sent through the Lieutenant-Governor to the Union Government for consideration. The Cabinet till date has discussed no Ordinance including the so-called Ordinance on demolitions so the question of it being considered by the Union Government does not arise. It is all a politics of taking credit and running down the Union Urban Development Ministry," said a senior Minister.

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