The Hindu : New Delhi News : Sheila plea on relief comes too late in the day

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Sep 07, 2006

New Delhi

New Delhi

Sheila plea on relief comes too late in the day

Sujay Mehdudia

Submission to Union Ministry on liquor vends has raised many eyebrows

NEW DELHI: Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit's plea to the Union Urban Development Ministry for giving relief to banquet halls, liquor vends, nursing homes and other such categories seems to have come a little too late in the day.

The timing of the submission to the Union Ministry including the plea for liquor vends has raised many eyebrows here in the Capital.

What has made the whole issue controversial is the Government pleading the case of liquor vends -- both private and government-run.

It is learnt that several senior Congress leaders are upset over the fact that at a time when Delhi was faced with bulldozers and sealing drive, the Government chose not to react stating that everything was being done at the instance of the courts.

Walia too makes plea

However, when it came to closure of liquor shops, both the Chief Minister and the Finance Minister, A. K. Walia, made strong pleas for allowing liquor vends in residential areas.

"The Delhi Government has not filed any suggestion or objection on the July 21 notification with the Board of Inquiry set up by the Delhi Development Authority. Instead it has chosen to write to the Union Urban Development Ministry three times to save liquor vends,'' a senior official disclosed.

What has made matters worse is the reported displeasure expressed by Congress president Sonia Gandhi over alleged circulation of reports by the Chief Minister's camp that during her meeting with the Congress president on Monday she had discussed the sealing and demolitions issue.

According to sources, the meeting was organised to discuss issues pertaining to the Indira Gandhi Memorial Trust and no word was spoken about demolitions and sealing by the Chief Minister.

`CM not sensitive'

"It is surprising that when the entire Capital is faced with such a sensitive situation, the Chief Minister did not take up the issue with Ms. Gandhi,'' a senior party leader remarked on Wednesday.

On the other hand, Ms. Dikshit wrote to the Union Urban Development Minister, Jaipal Reddy, on Monday seeking exemption for various categories and allowing liberal mixed land use in the various categories of colonies in the Capital, something that the Government should have done a few months ago.

"The elected governments are supposed to protect the interests of the people who have voted them to power. Even if the courts are directing things, efforts should be made to retrieve the situation. But no such thing was done by the Delhi Government,'' said a senior Minister.

On their part, officials said the intervention by the Government was too late in the day to provide any substantial relief to the worst hit sections of society.

They felt that although the Chief Minister had pleaded for the nursing homes, building material shops, banquet halls and other categories there was no mention of the small and middle level traders who are presently facing sealing and demolition exercise.

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