Sisodia-LG row: DDA says land use change in keeping with law

Amidst allegations by Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia that Delhi LG Najeeb Jung had allotted land earmarked for a school to BJP, DDA today sought to clarify its stand on the charge of "change" in land use for the plot, saying the site belonged to the government's Land and Development Office.
It further said that the change in land use was done upon the request of L&DO for inviting public objections and suggestions in accordance with the DDA Act. Jung is the DDA chairman.
In a two-page letter yesterday to Jung, Sisodia had accused him of allotting the said plot to BJP for building a party office and wondered what had "forced" the LG to take such a step.

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had in this regard asked the LG whether he was only expected to please his "political bosses" in his capacity as the DDA chairman.
While a senior official had reacted to the allegation yesterday, DDA in a statement today sought to further clarify its stand on the accusation.
"The site mentioned in the letter belonged to the Land and Development Office (L&DO) and not the DDA. The L&DO had already allotted the land to BJP (Delhi Pradesh) on 27.11.2014 and the site was handed over by L&DO to them on 5.12.2014.

"The land falls under the local jurisdiction of North Delhi Municipal Corporation," said DDA.

"The DDA Authority meeting had processed only the change of land use on the request of L&DOfor inviting public objections/suggestions in accordance with the DDA Act.
"This agenda item was circulated well in advance to all the elected members of the Authority, which included AAP's elected members," the statement said.
Reacting to the charges yesterday, a senior DDA official had said that the matter was in the "initial stage" and was far from being final.
"It is only after the procedure for receiving objections and suggestions has been completed that a board of inquiry sits and approves the changes it deems fit.

"And, finally, DDA Authority approves it. So, I don't get where the worry is," the official had said.
Observing that the LG is the "owner of land" in Delhi and has the authority to take a decision in this regard, Sisodia had said that the Constitution has not vested him with this power so that he "can allot land earmarked for school to a party which is in power at the Centre... A party that has been given three seats by the people in Delhi".
DDA further said that, in the last couple of years, change of land use proposals pertaining to social sectors, especially education, health, solid waste management, old age homes, night shelters, etc. Have been processed by it.

These proposals were on the request of Delhi government.
In fact, 10 such proposals of health and education sectors, measuring about 100 acres of land, have been approved by the Delhi Development Authority.
Also, about 95 acres of land has been approved for solid waste management, it said.