Relief from sealing for another year

The Lok Sabha approved a Bill proposing to extend the moratorium on sealing of various categories of unauthorised commercial properties in the city by one more year.

The Lok Sabha on Thursday approved a Bill proposing to extend the moratorium on sealing of various categories of unauthorised commercial properties in the city by one more year.

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The National Capital Territory of Delhi Laws (Special Provisions) Bill, 2009, which seeks to maintain status quo in respect of unauthorised colonies, including village abadis (settlements) and their extensions, storages, warehouses and godowns, was approved by voice vote after a reply by Minister of State for Urban Development Ajay Maken.

It also proposes to extend the relief to urban villages.

Maken rejected the BJP's demand of a general amnesty scheme for traders in Delhi.

He said, “We do not want to benefit law-breakers” and penalise those who are law-abiding. Even the ministers in the NDA government were not in favour of a general amnesty scheme.

He slammed the BJP for constantly misleading and confusing the people of Delhi by raising the demand for extremely ambiguous “one time amnesty scheme”, every time the government tried to bring about substantive and structured measures to deal with the issue of sealing and demolition, which started in the first place because of gross inaction by the previous BJP-led NDA Government.

During the debate, BJP’s Shah Nawaz Hussain said the people of Delhi needed a permanent relief mechanism by way of change in the Delhi Master Plan and not any stopgap arrangement.

Former minister Jagdish Tytler said the efforts of the present government would make Delhi a beautiful city. “Commonwealth Games are coming up. It is possible that some day we will have Olympics,” he said.