By IANS
New Delhi : The central government Friday asked the Delhi civic authorities to stop sealing illegal properties with immediate effect and to re-open the thousands that were closed when the drive began in February 2006, in a move that will bring major relief to tens of thousands of property owners, especially traders.
The decision will spare around 100,000 illegal properties facing closure.
“Notwithstanding any judgement, decree, or order of court, steps shall be taken by the local authority, including de-sealing, to maintain status quo as on 1st day of January, 2006, in respect of encroachment or unauthorised development,” the union urban development ministry said in a statement.
This means that the civic authorities have to revert to the status of the properties as it stood on Jan 1, 2006.
Welcoming the decision, Praveen Khandelwal, secretary general All India Confederation of Traders, said the move would bring relief to thousands of affected traders. “The civic bodies should immediately ensure that all the shops that were sealed are de-sealed at the earliest. It was a long pending demand of the traders and we hope the government comes out with a permanent solution.
“The thousands of people who lost their jobs due to the sealing would stand a chance to rehabilitate themselves,” he told IANS.
“On the face of the order, it is obvious that no sealing of unauthorised constructions would take place till December 2008,” Deep Mathur, Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) spokesperson, told IANS Friday.
He said the MCD would examine the order in detail only on Monday. “The next two days being holidays, an official decision from the corporation would be possible only on Monday,” Mathur added.
Delhi Congress committee president and Rajya Sabha Member J.P. Aggarwal was quick to welcome the decision of the union Urban Development Minister S. Jaipal Reddy.
“It is a big relief to thousands of people. The MCD must act fast to stop all sealing and de-seal all properties as well,” Aggarwal said.
MCD Standing Committee chairman Vijender Gupta said that the government’s order was a “temporary relief”. “The government must give one-time amnesty to all unauthorised constructions,” said Gupta, a Bharatiya Janata Party councillor. The party is currently in power in the corporation.
Last year the Delhi High Court had directed the state government and the MCD to seal all illegal properties that had not complied with the Delhi Master Plan 2021.
The sealing drive witnessed protests from shop and house owners. In September 2006, four people were killed during a march to protest the sealing of shops.