The Hindu : New Delhi News : Traders see delay in lease conversion

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Nov 16, 2007
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New Delhi

New Delhi

Traders see delay in lease conversion

Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI: A year after the Central Government ordered transfer of several markets from the Land and Development Office to the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC), traders are yet to receive their converted freehold leases from either body.

According to the NDMC, 10 markets including Khan Market, Khanna Market, Bengali Market, Diplomatic Conclave, Jorbagh and Aliganj, Sarojini Nagar Market, Bhagat Singh Market, Babu Market and Shankar Market were handed over to them by the L&DO in March 2006. However, traders of these markets allege that their freehold lease has been held up ever since as the L&DO and the NDMC continue to pass the buck to each other amid confusion due to lack of a policy decision on the matter.

According to Mohan Kukreja, chairman of the Sarojini Nagar Shopkeepers’ Association, this has resulted in huge financial losses to the shopkeepers. “We had already paid conversion and other charges to the L&DO before the market got transferred to the NDMC. These charges have not been refunded to us. This is why we want the L&DO to provide us with the freehold lease and not the NDMC,” says Mr. Kukreja.

The NDMC says there have been no delays in providing leases in cases of conversion from leasehold to freehold. An official said: “In case of conversion from leasehold to freehold property there have been no delays from our side since in most cases it is the traders who take time in paying up the pre-requisite charges for conversion.”

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