RWAs hail SC move; traders want a Bill to stop the sealing: The Hindu

DDA cannot allow rampant commercialisation: residents

The Supreme Court order staying any further proceedings by authorities to amend the Master Plan for Delhi 2021 was welcomed by the residents’ welfare associations (RWAs), while dismayed traders’ associations said the Centre must now introduce a Bill to provide relief to them from the ongoing sealing.

“The master plan is a sacred document that cannot be modified without application of mind and its purpose is to make Delhi a world-class city. The SC has rightly ordered in the matter to save Delhi,” said Chetan Sharma, secretary general of the Confederation of NCR RWAs (CONRWA).

‘Need correct policy’

“The government must plan a correct policy for traders,” read a joint statement by CONRWA and Save Delhi Campaign.

President of the East Delhi RWAs Joint Front Federation B. S. Vohra said: “The stay by the SC on any amendments to the master plan is on expected lines. We are not against traders but the Delhi Development Authority cannot be allowed to approve rampant commercialisation of the city without adequate infrastructure.”

‘Centre must take steps’

Traders’ associations, however, expressed “dismay” over the stay. “Since there is no other way left, the Centre should immediately formulate a Bill in the current session of Parliament to issue a moratorium on sealing in Delhi, looking at its repercussions which will destabilise the trade and economy of Delhi,” said Praveen Khandelwal, secretary general of the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT).

The traders also urged Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to pass a Bill in the Delhi Assembly to stop the ongoing sealing drive.

Senior DDA officials said that the final decision lies with the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.

“Our responsibility was to approve the amendments which we did. Now the file is with the ministry and they have to take the final call and issue notifications. The DDA has nothing more to do” said a DDA official.

Since last December, the civic bodies along with the Supreme Court appointed monitoring committee have been carrying out a sealing drive in the Capital.

In a bid to provide relief to the traders, the DDA on February 27 had approved amendments to the city’s plan, including introduction of a uniform Floor Action Ratio for both residential and commercial plots.