AAP MLA seeks legal action against sale of ‘school land’ by North MCD

Aam Aadmi Party MLA Somnath Bharti on Tuesday sought legal action against the sale of land belonging to schools by North MCD, a claim that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which rules the MCD, dismissed as baseless

Aam Aadmi Party MLA Somnath Bharti on Tuesday sought legal action against the sale of land belonging to schools by North MCD, a claim that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which rules the MCD, dismissed as baseless.

Somnath Bharti (HT)

Bharti said that he raised the issue of commercialisation of land given by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) to the MCD for development of schools. “I raised this issue in the DDA meeting, chaired by the Lieutenant Governor (LG), on Tuesday. The land in Delhi principally belongs to the DDA, and it is the DDA which gives properties to everyone. So all this land, which is now being sold by the MCD, was once given by the DDA to the MCD for building schools. But, instead of utilising this land meant for developing the schools, the BJP-ruled MCD is selling it. I submitted a request to the LG in writing, asking him to save MCD schools. The DDA should take action on it and hand over all MCD schools to the AAP-ruled Delhi government. The way Arvind Kejriwal has made Delhi’s schools world-class, he will also transform the schools under the MCD,” he said.

Refuting the allegations, the Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor said that the AAP leaders are blowing this issue out of proportion. “The AAP, leaders, in an apparent competition, repeat the same lie many times. The North MCD has repeatedly clarified that no school land is being sold and actually car parking are being constructed under PPP model on the demand of local residents and traders. The lands near schools in Shalimar Bagh and Bank Street (Karol Bagh) were allotted 6-7 years ago by the DDA to the North MCDs. But as this is the election year, they are simply creating a brouhaha,” said Kapoor.