The Hindu : Front Page : Only a breather for MCD

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Saturday, Nov 04, 2006
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Only a breather for MCD

Sandeep Joshi

Committee may inform judges of MCD, police failure

Panel answered queries on drive No sealing despite stern letter

NEW DELHI: Though the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) might have secured temporary relief till November 6, it will not be easy for the civic body to defend itself against resuming sealing operations when the case comes up before the Supreme Court on Monday. For, the court will be armed with a report of its monitoring committee on the failure of the MCD and the police to resume the drive on November 2 and 3.

On November 1, when Delhi witnessed large-scale violence on the last day of the three-day trade bandh, the three-member monitoring committee held a long meeting with senior municipal officials including the Deputy Commissioners of all 12 civic zones. The committee members — the former Election Commission official K.J. Rao, retired bureaucrat Bhure Lal and Major General (retired) S.P. Jhingan — answered their queries on how the drive should be carried out against illegal commercial establishments operating in residential areas.

The committee told them that property which came up prior to 1962 would not be targeted provided the owners maintained its pre-1962 status on functioning and size. The panel clarified that for the time being, action should be initiated only on 185 roads, which are 80 feet wide and are not covered under the Centre's notification. The Deputy Commissioners were asked to concentrate on hazardous and polluting businesses.

MCD sources said on November 1, the committee gave orders to resume the drive from November 2 zone-wise, in the wake of the law and order problem and police shortage. But everything changed after the GoM meeting that day and the committee reluctantly decided to postpone the drive by another day. On November 2, it sent a stern letter to the MCD asking it to resume the exercise but again that did not happen.

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