Congress warns Delhi govt over sealing drive, says it violates master plan

Accusing the Centre and state government of favouring big industrialists, Ajay Maken said the Congress-led UPA government had made adequate arrangements to protect small-scale industries in the master plan of Delhi in 2006.

Delhi Congress chief Ajay Maken on Wednesday said sealing of non-polluting units in residential areas and notices for land misuse following the Supreme Court-appointed monitoring committee’s orders violated the master plan of Delhi’s (MPD’s) provisions.

Congress leader Ajay Maken addresses a press conference in Chandigarh. (Karun Sharma/HT Photo)

Accusing the Centre and state government of favouring big industrialists, Maken said the Congress-led UPA government had made adequate arrangements to protect the household industry in the MPD in 2006.

“Both the governments – BJP in Centre and AAP in Delhi-- are working overtime to benefit big industrialists and those who own shops in malls and chunks of land in industrial areas. They are creating a scare in the name of sealing, forcing them to shift their businesses to malls and industrial areas. They want the property rates to go up,” Maken said, addressing a public gathering in Gandhi Nagar area of east Delhi.

The Congress leader said the government should follow rules and make modifications in the MPD to protect small-time traders running household industries.

“We kept a provision in the MPD, which says the government may change the definition of household industry in future as per the requirement and include more categories in the list. This (sealing) is a well-planned conspiracy. The Congress will not allow this to continue and so we initiated ‘Nyay Yudh’ (struggle for justice) against illegal sealing,” Maken said.

Present on the occasion were former Delhi ministers Arvinder Singh Lovely, Haroon Yusuf, Narendra Nath, and other party leaders and former MLAs.

Addressing the gathering, Lovely blamed the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government for the action against alleged violation of municipal norms.

“Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal was told about MPD provisions pertaining to the household industry. He assured Congress delegation of doing the needful. Six months have passed since and he had not acted yet,” said Lovely.

Questioning the monitoring committee’s action, Lovely said the Congress is ready to go to any extent against the sealing drive.

“If household industries cannot run from residential areas, what is the purpose of having this ‘household’ category. With arbitrary notices of land misuse and sealing, people of east Delhi are severely affected,” he said.