The Hindu : New Delhi News : Sheila accuses BJP-ruled MCD of discrimination in sealing

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Saturday, May 10, 2008
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Sheila accuses BJP-ruled MCD of discrimination in sealing

Staff Reporter

Chief Minister calls on Lieutenant-Governor to express her concern

‘MCD teams are causing extreme harassment to professionals and shopkeepers’
‘No one would be allowed to encroach upon the privacy of citizens’

NEW DELHI: The politics over the ongoing sealing operations in the Capital got a little shriller on Friday with Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit calling on Lieutenant-Governor Tejendra Khanna to express her concern over the “discriminatory manner” in which the BJP-ruled Municipal Corporation of Delhi was carrying out the sealing drive. Only a few days ago Union Minister of State for Urban Development Ajay Maken had accused the MCD of adopting a “pick and choose” policy in the matter.

During her meeting with Mr. Khanna on Friday morning, the Chief Minister charged that MCD teams had been entering the premises of professionals and small shopkeepers too despite their having been exempted under the new Master Plan for Delhi-2021. She said such acts by MCD teams were causing extreme harassment to professionals and shopkeepers.

The Chief Minister further charged that there had been many instances of residents and shopkeepers being asked some most irrelevant questions by the sealing teams. “This is victimisation of innocent people and an onslaught on the privacy of the citizens,” she charged.

Mr. Khanna on hearing out Ms. Dikshit said no one would be allowed to encroach upon the privacy of citizens and acknowledged that certain “unacceptable” actions had taken place. Thereafter he issued directions that any official found violating established procedures for sealing and entering into the houses or premises of professionals or small shopkeepers would attract the severest action.

Following the meeting with the L-G, the Chief Minister also sent out letters to the Union Home Minister and the Union Urban Development Minister, with copies endorsed to the L-G, stating that the manner in which sealing was being carried out by the MCD was “a permissive implementation of the sealing requirements amounting to pick and choose”.

The war of words between the Congress and BJP leaders over the sealing issue had resumed the day the Supreme Court directed that properties that were not covered by the relaxed norms provided by the new Master Plan for Delhi be sealed. The BJP leaders had thereafter charged that the resumption of sealing was a failure of the Congress as the MCD was only an implementing agency and the rules were framed by the Centre and the Delhi Government where the Congress was in charge.

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