Sealing drive: AAP leaders to march to Parliament today

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, January 28

The AAP leaders, including MPs, MLAs and councillors, will take out a march to Parliament tomorrow to "put pressure" on the BJP-led Centre and Lt Governor Anil Baijal for the required changes in the Master Plan for Delhi (MPD)- 2021 to prevent further sealing of commercial properties in the national Capital.

The BJP countered claiming the AAP and the Congress don't want the sealing exercise to stop and see the sealing spree as an opportunity to score political gains in view of ensuing Delhi Assembly bypolls.

Addressing reporters AAP MLA and spokesperson Saurabh Bhardwaj today said the BJP should stop "misleading" people on the issue of sealing by bringing the Delhi Government into the picture as it is the Centre and the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) that need to take the steps, including granting amnesty to all traders on conversion charges and increasing the floor area ratio (FAR) from 180 sq mts to 300 sq mts in the MPD 2021.

Bhardwaj said he and some other party MLAs have written to Baijal seeking appointment to press for the same in the wake of the ongoing sealing drive by the BJP-ruled civic bodies on the directions of a Supreme Court-appointed monitoring committee. 

"After the march, we will go to meet the LG on the issue," he added.

The three municipal corporations yesterday passed a resolution during an emergency joint session requesting that the ongoing sealing of commercial properties be stayed for six months. 

The BJP has announced to raise the issue of sealing in Parliament with the budget session beginning tomorrow.

A delegation of BJP leaders led by BJP state chief Manoj TIwari is going to meet Union Urban Development Minister Hardeep Singh Puri and request him to increase FAR while Tiwari trained its guns both at the Kejriwal-led party and the Congress accusing both of indulging in a new political gimmick every day on the sealing issue.

Going by the claims of the BJP leaders, had the AAP government started the work of regularisation of unauthorised colonies and "not obstructed" extension of village lal dora and land pooling more than 50 per cent of the causes of ongoing sealing process could have avoided.

Similarly, had the Kejriwal government notified the 351 roads it too would have given a big respite, Tiwari said while claiming that both the AAP and Congress don't want the sealing drive to end.

"The AAP and Congress see the sealing spree as an opportunity to score political points in view of ensuing the assembly bypolls," Tiwari claimed.