The Hindu : New Delhi News : MCD to begin sealing drive from next month

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Friday, Aug 25, 2006

New Delhi

New Delhi

MCD to begin sealing drive from next month

Staff Reporter

Action against all illegal commercial establishments not covered under the Delhi Laws (Special Provisions) Act, 2006

NEW DELHI: Following orders from the Supreme Court-appointed monitoring committee, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi has decided to begin sealing of all illegal commercial establishments in the Capital not covered under the Delhi Laws (Special Provisions) Act, 2006, from September 1. Action will also be taken against all houses that are above 15 metres in residential plotted areas and regularised colonies.

The decision comes after the Union Urban Development Ministry vide its notification dated August 18, 2006, withdrew the exemptions granted under sub-section (2) and (3) of section 3 of the Act to certain categories of shops and business. "We will start the sealing exercise as per the directions issued by the committee. The business community and residents have been advised to close all their illegal commercial establishments not granted moratorium by August 31, failing which we will start the sealing drive," said Municipal Commissioner A.K. Nigam at the MCD Standing Committee meeting on Thursday.

The decision is also a fallout of the Supreme Court's August 10 order staying a notification issued by the Union Urban Development Ministry on May 20 directing the MCD to de-seal commercial establishments operating from residential areas that had been sealed. The notification also permitted those who had given undertakings to continue such activity beyond June 30.

The MCD sealing squads will target all banquet halls in residential areas besides any trade or activity in residential areas involving any kind of obnoxious, hazardous, inflammable, non-compatible and polluting substance or process. In residential areas, retail shops of building materials including timber, marble, iron and steel and sand, besides firewood, coal and any fire hazardous and other bulky materials will be sealed. Action will also be initiated against junk shops; liquor vends; printing, dyeing and varnishing shops; shops being used as warehouse or godown; and workshops and repair shops of automobiles, cycle rickshaw, tyre resoling and re-treading and battery charging.

However, retail shops of finished marble products, not undertaking cutting and polishing activities, and repair shops and workshops in case of automobile and cycle rickshaws will be permissible on plots abutting mixed use streets of "right of way" of 30 metres or more.

Retail shops on floors other than ground floor, except on streets of 24 metres or more and where it was permissible as per Master Plan for Delhi-1962, will also be not allowed. Similarly, activities carried out by professionals other than architects, chartered accountants, doctors and lawyers, in excess of 50 per cent permissible coverage in residential premises and by anyone who is not a resident in such premises will not be permissible.

Banks and nursing homes operating on plots of less than 200 square metres in case of residential plotted development and more than 1,000 square metres, except those operating on Master Plan and Zonal Plan roads, will not be allowed. Guest houses operating on plots of less than 200 square metres in the case of residential plotted development and more than 1,000 square metres, except those operating in special areas or on Master Plan and Zonal Plan roads will also not be allowed. Pre-primary schools, fitness centres and gymnasiums operating on floors other than ground floor will also be sealed.

In addition, any construction that is over 15 metres in height and beyond ground plus three floors in residential plotted development and regularised colonies will also be sealed. The civic body will also target all commercial activities, except for professional activities covered under the Act, in residential areas falling in categories `A' and `B' as per the civic body's unit area method of property tax classification.

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