The BJP-run municipal corporations of Delhi had continued to collect conversion charges from certain commercial establishments after the Delhi Development Authority had clarified there was no need to, Aam Aadmi Party MLA Saurabh Bharadwaj alleged on Thursday.
‘Not liable to pay’
Speaking during a discussion in the Delhi Assembly on the sealing drive by the municipalities, Mr. Bharadwaj said a letter from the DDA to the South Delhi Municipal Corporation and the North Delhi Municipal Corporation in September 2018, had said commercial units in local shopping centres were not liable to pay conversion charges.
“Since December 2017, the municipal corporations have been sealing commercial premises under the pretext of not paying conversion charges. They have collected hundreds of crores in conversion charges from establishments that are already declared commercial, so what are they converting?” asked Mr. Bharadwaj.
He accused the BJP-run civic bodies of “cheating” the traders of Delhi, referring to the sealing drives in Defence Colony, Greater Kailash and South Extension markets, which have been designated for commercial use.
Later in the discussion, Urban Development Minister Satyendar Jain asked the Centre to pass an ordinance to end the sealing drive in Delhi.