Govt seeks political consensus on sealing DDA’S AFFIDAVIT ON MASTER PLAN AMENDMENTS WEAK, SAY RWAS

FINDING A SOLUTION AAP govt asks both Congress and BJP to accompany delegation to meet Scappointed panel

NEWDELHI: The Delhi government has decided to lead a delegation of political parties to the Supreme Court-appointed monitoring committee to discuss issues related to the Delhi master plan (MPD) 2021 and find a solution to the sealing problem.

Deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia announced this on Tuesday after a meeting with Delhi Congress leaders at chief minister Arvind Kejriwal’s residence.

Condemning the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for skipping the all-party meeting at the CM’S house on Tuesday, Sisodia said the government would go any extent to protect the interest of city traders.

“This (sealing) is the biggest crisis in the lives of traders. We are ready to do anything required to prevent sealing. Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Congress MPS will jointly raise this matter in Parliament. We will go to the monitoring committee to discuss MPD, its interpretation, and sealing. The CM requests both the Congress and the BJP to come with us,” Sisodia said.

Sisodia said the government would create opportunities for both parties to apprise the monitoring committee about their views on the sealing. “The Congress delegation agreed today to make joint efforts to stop sealing. Ajay Maken (Delhi Congress chief) has given some good suggestions for reforms, we will implement them,” he said.

Kejriwal, on Saturday, wrote to chiefs of local units – BJP’S Manoj Tiwari and Congress’s Maken — inviting them to hold a discussion on the matter. Earlier, on Saturday, Maken sent a letter to CM asking to come together to resolve the issue.

Taking on the BJP for not attending the meeting, Sisodia said that the ruling party at Centre was not serious and doing politics over the sealing. “Had they been interested in resolving the matter, they could have brought a law in one day in Parliament as they have numbers. But the BJP wants to finish off traders by establishing foreign direct investment in the city,” he said.

Later, Kejriwal also tweeted, “Had a v good meeting wid reps of Congress. BJP boycotted. I wish BJP had also participated in the interest of Delhi’s traders” (sic).

Reacting to the AAP’S government criticism, Tiwari, who is on five-day visit to Mauritius with president Ram Nath Kovind, said, “If the Kejriwal government is committed to find a solution, it should immediately hold a special session of the Delhi assembly on March 15 and pass a resolution seeking moratorium on all commercial constructions and unauthorised colonies existing till December 31 and forward it to the Centre.”

Earlier, Maken reached the CM’S residence at 12 pm with former Delhi Congress chiefs Arvinder Singh and Subhash Chopra to give his suggestions on how to stop action over alleged violation of municipal norms. The meeting lasted an hour and was fruitful, Maken said.

Health minister Satyendar Jain, development minister Gopal Rai, AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh and MLA Somnath Bharti were among the others who took part in the talks.

Maken also attacked the BJP for boycotting the meet. “We have given a representation to the CM, and will send this to the BJP also, in which we have divided the city into six parts. We have told them that for each area, the MPD and the existing law has a solution and therefore the ongoing sealing is illegal,” he said. NEWDELHI: Terming the affidavits filed by the Delhi Development Authority as ‘weak for planned development in the city’, Residents Welfare Associations (RWAS) have urged the monitoring committee to study them properly and raise their concerns in the Supreme Court.

In a joint statement released by a group of RWAS running the ‘save our city’ campaign, residents raised doubts over the scientific analysis and study being conducted by the authority over the impact of the amendments on quality of life and environment.

“In its justification, DDA said it has gone for the vertical growth in tandem with international practices. But vertical growth depends on various geographical factors such as the seismic zone of a city, its proximity to sea for free flow of air and availability of water,” said Rajiv Kakria, member of Greater Kailash I RWA.

“Besides, arrangements for sewer disposal, power supply and parking to cater to the increasing commercial growth also need due attention. I don’t think these factors have been considered at all,” he said.

On Monday, DDA had filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court regarding the proposed amendments to the Delhi Master Plan -2021 in order to provide relief to traders from the sealing drive.

“The DDA in its affidavit said its Act does not mandate environment impact assessment for modifying the master plan. This kind of response is unacceptable from any land owing agency. It doesn’t instil the confidence that DDA is capable of doing its job,” said Anil Sood, president of Chetna, an NGO.

The RWAS said the DDA should modify its Act and only after that they should go for any change in the master plan.

“The authority (DDA) must remember that Delhi has become the most polluted city and everything to be done in this city must be regulated by the environmental norms,” said BS Vohra, president, federation of East Delhi RWAS.

Stop the drama of allegations and counterallegations on the issue of sealing in Delhi. The traders are suffering a lot due to the collusion and fake fight between the BJP and the AAP... Both the parties should find an immediate solution to the problem, instead of gaining political mileage out of it.