MCD seals councillor’s properties

On Wednesday, the MCD ended up sealing two properties belonging to councillor Ravinder Choudhary, who is also chairman of the Central zone ward committee. HT reports.

On Wednesday, the MCD ended up sealing two properties belonging to councillor Ravinder Choudhary, who is also chairman of the Central zone ward committee.

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On Wednesday, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), acting on complaints by the Public Grievance Cell, reached House H-58 and H-59 in South Extension-I, where Choudhary was allegedly misusing the property to run a paying guest (PG) accommodation and other commercial offices.

“While the property was meant for residential purposes, it was being illegally run as a girls’ PG hostel, which is commercial in nature,” said a senior MCD official. “We received a complaint from the Delhi government’s Public Grievance Cell about the misuse of the property and acted accordingly,” the official added.

The MCD demolished the top floor of the building as it was illegally constructed and was taller than the permitted 15 metres. Officials said it was a four-storey building and there were 40-50 rooms in the two buildings. Ravinder Chaudhary has, however, said his property was not sealed due to misuse but due to a public interest litigation (PIL) filed over eight years ago.

He said that in 2002, Jagdish Lal, a councillor from the area, had filed a PIL over illegal construction in the area.

The PIL was filed on 180 properties, two of which belonged to him. In the past three months, the MCD had sealed nearly 45 properties named in the PIL.

Choudhary’s house was sealed on Wednesday and a notice issued in which he has been asked to forward a reply within 24 hours. “The MCD has demolished the top portion of the building as it was illegal. The rest of the building was built after drawing up proper building plans. I just have to show MCD the papers and the building will be de-sealed,” the councillor said.