Issues of sealing drive & conversion fees sent to House panel

Delhi Assembly Speaker Ram Niwas Goel today refereed various contentious issues, including an ongoing sealing drive by civic bodies and collection of conversion charges, to a special committee of the House for examination, and asked it to submit its report in the next session.
Goel has directed all three municipal commissioners and other senior officers to appear before the committee, headed by AAP MLA Bhavna Gaur.
It comes after the ruling Aam Aadmi Party MLAs alleged that the BJP-led civic bodies did not have details of over Rs 1,000 crore collected as conversion charges from traders over the last few years.

"I am referring the matter of collection and utilisation of conversion charges and all other related issues for examination by the special committee on MCDs.
"I direct the commissioners and all other officers of MCDs to depose before the committee as and when desired by the committee and state the truth," Goel said in his ruling.
The AAP legislators alleged that there has been a "scam" of Rs 1,000 crore collected by the civic bodies.

Taking part in the discussion on the sealing drive, Labour Minister Gopal Rai said that the BJP-led central government should do away with conversion charges to give a relief to traders.

Rai also responded to Leader of Opposition Vijender Gupta's charges that the AAP dispensation has "failed" to notify 351 roads where business establishments are in question, saying that the sealing drive has been launched by the BJP-led civic bodies across the city and not only on these roads.
He said that MCDs have already been asked to submit a detailed report on the issue by January 22.
"I want to assure that the government will notify these 351 roads as soon as all three municipal bodies submit their plans. The BJP is doing politics over the sealing. The Centre should do away with conversion charges in order to give one- time relief to the city's traders," the labour minister said.

He also said that the Centre should form a committee to look into the issue of conversion charges.
Also, Urban Development Minister Satyendar Jain charged the BJP with "wrongdoings".
"The BJP has the intention of extorting money from traders through the ongoing sealing drive. It does not take care of traders. They (BJP) do not see anything except polls," Jain said.
The leader of opposition alleged that government has failed to notify 351 roads despite the fact that MCD officers had sent several reminders to the AAP dispensation.
"There are several letters where civic bodies have reminded the government about the notification of 351 roads, but it is yet to do the same. The government does not want to give relief to traders," the BJP leader also said.

A decision to notify the roads has been pending since 2007. If the 351 roads are notified for mixed land use, commercial activities will be legal, which will effectively shield traders operating on these stretches from sealing.
Yesterday, the assembly witnessed repeated adjournments of the House proceedings over the ongoing sealing drive. Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia had alleged that BJP is extorting money through sealing drive.