Puri flags flaws in sealing drive, calls for humane approach

Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri today flagged several flaws in the sealing drive in Delhi and said there had been instances of properties for which conversion charges were paid being shut.

The Housing and Urban Affairs Minister's remarks came a day after he had said that the members of the Supreme Court-appointed monitoring committee for carrying out sealing drive worked from air-conditioned offices and did not know ground realities.

"Do you know how many people have lost their jobs? I am not criticising sealing but saying that sealing has to be situated in larger human reality. Till you don't understand the ground realities, there is no point talking on technicalities," Puri told reporters on the sidelines of an event to mark the 48th Foundation Day of Housing and Urban Development Corporation (HUDCO).

"There have been instances of those properties being sealed for which the conversion charges have already been paid. There are many cases where the properties sealed had to be de-sealed later," he added.

The sealing drive by the BJP-run municipal corporations in Delhi was initiated in December last year on the direction of the apex court.

Commercial premises, including shops and restaurants, were sealed for failing to deposit conversion charges according to provisions in the Delhi Master Plan 2021.

Noting that Delhi Master Plan 2021 was prepared in 2006 and there have been massive demographic changes since then, Puri said the problem of Delhi has to be solved in "humane and constructive manner".

"I don't want to interfere with the process or direction of the Court. But it is our responsibility to understand the issue holistically," he said.

Puri said nobody disagrees with the court's order to stop construction-related activities in the unauthorised colonies.

"But there are ground realities. Why are people poor? Why are they living in sub-standard houses? These are real human issues and need to be resolved," he said.

The minister also exuded confidence that the Supreme Court would lift a stay on proposed amendments by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) in the Delhi Master Plan which was aimed at granting protection from the ongoing sealing drive in the national capital.

The proposal included bringing a uniform floor-area ratio (FAR) for shop-cum-residence plots and complexes at par with residential plots. The FAR is the ratio of a building's total floor area to the size of the piece of land on which it is built.

Stressing that the government will not allow encroachment on its land, Puri said there has been a "culture" of encroachment in government land whenever one gets a chance to do that.