The Hindu : New Delhi News : Congress goes into a huddle on Delhi law

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Jul 19, 2006

New Delhi

New Delhi

Congress goes into a huddle on Delhi law

Sujay Mehdudia

Coordination panel meet convened on July 21 to draw strategy on demolition issue in wake of apex court's ire

NEW DELHI: Sensing the mood of the Supreme Court and the growing sense of anxiety among the Capital's citizens and political leadership over the validity of the Delhi Laws (Special Provisions) Act 2006, the ruling Congress here has convened a meeting of its Coordination Committee on July 21 to discuss the issue threadbare and draw up a strategy to deal with the situation.

"We will take stock of the situation in wake of the observations of the Court and seek remedial measures. I have also taken up the matter with Union Urban Development Minister Jaipal Reddy and his junior Minister Ajay Maken and asked them to come prepared for the Coordination Committee meeting. I have already talked about the whole issue with Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit and conveyed that the party and the Government should be seen speaking and acting in cohesion," the Congress general secretary in charge of Delhi affairs, Ashok Gehlot, told The Hindu on Tuesday.

It is understood that apart from discussing the issue of sealing and demolitions in the Capital, the Coordination Committee -- which includes representatives of the ruling party and the Government -- will also undertake a review of the power and water situation in the Capital. It is understood that Congress president Sonia Gandhi has also been apprised of the situation arising out of the stand taken by the Supreme Court and that was the reason it was decided to put all heads together and come out with a solution to the problem. While on the one hand the Government, especially the Union Urban Development Ministry, would be asked to prepare a legal document and put it before the Supreme Court justifying the enactment of the new Act, on the other there is a feeling that the preparation work for notifying the new Master Plan for Delhi-2021 should be speeded up along with the recommendations of the Tejinder Khanna Committee.

It is learnt that the party high command is not happy with the handling of the water and power crises by the Delhi Government resulting in people taking to the streets. The leadership is also concerned over the strong protests by residents' welfare associations against the privatisation of power and also over the deteriorating power and water situation.

The party leadership is also worried over the growing impression among the masses that the Delhi Government had become a mouthpiece of the private power distribution companies rather than speaking out for the lakhs of affected consumers. Mr. Gehlot said he had remarked at the previous Coordination Committee meetings that the Delhi Government should dispel this impression and rather be seen siding protecting the interests of the consumers and taking up their cause with the private power companies.

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