The Hindu : New Delhi News : Tehkhand plot issue rocks MCD

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, May 18, 2006

New Delhi

New Delhi

Tehkhand plot issue rocks MCD

Staff Reporter

Members wonder how DDA could take the plot back after receiving full consideration

NEW DELHI: The issue of the Delhi Development Authority allegedly usurping a plot of land belonging to the Slum and JJ Department of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi at Tehkhand and then auctioning it off dominated the MCD Standing Committee meeting on Wednesday. Members of all parties wondered aloud as to how DDA could take the plot back after receiving full consideration for it and without MCD permission as per the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act.

Joining hands, both the ruling Congress and the Opposition sought an enquiry into the matter and MCD Standing Committee Chairman Jaikishen Sharma directed Commissioner A.K. Nigam to conduct a probe and submit the report before the panel at its next meeting. Raising the issue Brijmohan Sharma of the Congress said the Member of Parliament from Outer Delhi Sajjan Kumar was the first to raise the issue in a letter. Sanjay Puri of the Congress held former Lieutenant Governor Vijai Kapoor responsible for reverting the land back to DDA and claimed that MCD had been cheated in the matter. Leader of the House Jitender Kochchar also raised concern at the issue while stressing the need to look at the facts in view of the clarification given by DDA.

When the Slum and JJ Department Additional Commissioner R.M. Pillai pointed out that it was wrong of DDA to claim that only a part payment had been made as the Rs 1.92 crores paid for the plot amounted to full payment for the 32 acre piece of land which had been evaluated at Rs 6 lakhs per acre, Committee member Vijender Gupta demanded a probe as according to him a MCD property can only be transferred upon approval of the House as had been stipulated by the DMC Act.

DDA had earlier claimed that in a meeting held with the Vice-Chairman in 1998, the Ministry of Urban Development suggested that DDA itself should take up a pilot project at Tehkhand for in-situ rehabilitation of slum dwellers and then the Lieutenant-Governor decided on May 14, 1998, that that as per suggestions of the Ministry, an in-situ rehabilitation project be taken up directly by DDA and the part payment made by the Slum and JJ Wing for the land be refunded. Stating that on June 3, 1998, the MCD was informed that the land was being resumed, DDA said the sum of Rs.1.92 crores paid by it was also adjusted against the pending dues relating to the land allotment made to the MCD by DDA in Molar Bund and Rohini.

Since then, DDA said the possession of this land has been with it. Noting that it had got 12.4 hectare of land changed to residential use on January 12, 2002, and another 3.6 hectare changed as recently as in February 2006 for the Tehkhand project, DDA said it is a self financing project wherein 750 free sale housing have been offered to private developers, in return for which the builder would build 3,500 slum housing units. Also it said, a sum of Rs 451 crores has been raised through the bidding process which itself is enough to finance the construction of another 15,000 economically weaker section units.

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