NEW DELHI: The Centre might soon allow more professionals to operate from residential areas of the Capital. So far only lawyers, doctors, architects and chartered accountants have been included in the list, but soon other professionals, primarily involved in consultancy and education-related work, could be allowed. According to Municipal Commissioner A.K. Nigam, the Centre has been looking into the matter and might add a few more categories to the list of professional activities. "Once we receive this new notified list, we will implement it giving relief to other professionals also," he said.

Though he refused to give further details, sources in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi said that non-polluting professional activities of information technology experts, tutors, typing centres, computer centres, fashion designers, public relations consultants and study centres could be allowed in residential areas.

Similarly, some commercial and professional activities in basements could also be allowed. "The Centre is already considering the matter and it has to take a final decision on it. Once we get clearance from the Centre, we will intimate this to the Supreme Court-appointed Monitoring Committee so that relief could be provided to affected traders and professionals," Mr. Nigam said. "As of now, we are not touching basements during our sealing drive," he added.

The Municipal Commissioner has also asked residents with unauthorised constructions on their properties and now covered under the new building by-laws to submit the new maps of their modified properties so that they could be regularised."Though the penal charges are still to be decided by the Centre, it will be appropriate on the part of the residents to submit modified maps of their residential properties with us so that we could initiate paper work for their regularisation," Mr. Nigam said.

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