Accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) of “destroying the livelihoods” of traders, Delhi Congress president Ajay Maken on Thursday said the Centre and Delhi governments should move court against the ongoing sealing by the municipal corporations.
Mr. Maken said the Master Plan of Delhi-2021, which was enacted in 2007 when he was the Union Urban Development Minister, had laid down provisions to allow mixed land use.
‘Lax attitude’
Mr. Maken said 5.12 lakh retail and wholesale shops in Delhi are facing sealing due to the “lax attitude” of the BJP and the AAP.
He said though the Congress government had moved the Supreme Court in 2006 after the apex court passed directions to seal commercial establishments in residential areas, the BJP and AAP governments had not done the same now.
Making a presentation to traders, Mr. Maken explained that the Delhi Development Authority had fixed the rates for conversion charges for different categories of colonies on June 22, 2007. Calculating 25% of the difference between residential and commercial land rates, the charges for category A and B colonies, for example, was ₹767 per year for 10 years.
He said the subsequent notifications by the BJP government to increase the charges were “standalone” and that the earlier notification had not been amended. He said the current conversion charges being collected — at ₹22,000 per square metre — were a “flawed decision”.
“We believe that the old rates for conversion charges still stand. We had intended the charges to be collected for 10 years, not forever,” said Mr. Maken.
He said the Congress would share the suggestions on how to provide relief to traders facing sealing to the Union Urban Development Minister, Lieutenant-Governor Anil Baijal, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and the municipal corporations of Delhi, which are carrying out sealing.
