Order on Malhotra panel report repealed

By Lalit K. Jha

NEW DELHI, OCT. 5.

Yielding to political pressure, the Union Urban Development Ministry has decided to repeal its earlier order which nullified the Prof. V.K. Malhotra Committee report on regularisation of unauthorised constructions in residential areas of the Capital.

A decision in this regard was taken recently by the Union Urban Development Minister, Mr. Ananth Kumar, after meeting the Delhi Mayor, Mr. Shanti Desai. ``Part-I of the Malhotra Committee report dealing with unauthorised constructions in the residential areas will now be implemented in toto. The earlier order of the Ministry will now be withdrawn,'' Mr. Desai said.

As for Part-II of the Malhotra Committee report, which recommends regularisation of commercial structures in residential areas, it was decided at the meeting that the Municipal Corporation of Delhi will again pass the report and send it to the Ministry for necessary approval. It is expected that this report too will be accepted by the Ministry, Mr. Desai said.

The senior BJP leaders of the Capital, in particular those from the MCD, had been pressing for ``in toto'' implementation of the Malhotra Committee report which, they said, will enhance their prospects in the forthcoming civic elections.

Though the BJP-ruled MCD had approved and passed both the reports, the first part was virtually nullified by the then Union Urban Development Minister, Mr. Jagmohan, last year on the ground that it would put an additional unbearable burden on the civic amenities infrastructure.

The second part of the report was rejected by the Congress(I)- ruled Delhi Government. In a letter to the Municipal Commissioner, the Principal Secretary in the Delhi Urban Development Ministry, Ms. Suman Swaroop, said the report was not acceptable as it violated the Delhi Master Plan.

However, Mr. Desai alleged that the Delhi Government did not pass this report to the Union Government for the ``reasons best known to it''. Well aware that the Delhi Government might again try to scuttle the move for implementation of second part of the report, this time the civic body will send it directly to the Urban Development Ministry for approval.

Mr. Desai asserted that the implementation of both parts of the report was a commitment made by the BJP to the people. ``The House has already approved it once and will again give it approval at the next meeting,'' he said. ``We will ensure that it is implemented before the next election.''

Though the implementation of the report, no doubt will mean ``rewarding law-breakers'', it is expected to come as a ``money spinner'' for the cash-strapped MCD and as a ``big relief'' for lakhs of people who have gone ahead with the unauthorised constructions.

After the Malhotra Committee report was approved by the civic body in 1998 and before it was nullified by Mr. Jagmohan, the MCD went ahead and collected as much as Rs. 41 crores from 6,780 people. The fact that in the last six months only three people came to MCD, is ample proof that it was more or less defunct.

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