MCD locks horn with SC committee

NEW DELHI: The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) is once again at loggerheads with the monitoring committee appointed by the Supreme Court to overlook the ongoing sealing drive in the capital.

On Monday, the MCD violated the monitoring committee’s order by not initiating the sealing drive across the 1,500 colonies in the city.

Chairman of the MCD standing committee, Vijender Gupta and leader of the house, Subhash Arya, have urged the Delhi and Central governments to file an application in the apex court to defer the monitoring committee’s directions on sealing.

The contention of the MCD is that a Central government-approved survey of the regularisation of the colonies has already been conducted.

If the sealing process is continued, the regularisation process would be rendered futile, Gupta explained.

On the MCD’s decision to defer the court-ordered sealing drive Gupta said: “We don’t think it’s a case of contempt of court since we have taken this step in the larger interest of the public. In fact, we plan to file an appeal in the Supreme Court against the sealing orders.”

Representatives of the MCD will also be meeting Union urban development minister, Jaipal Reddy to discuss the issue.

Arya accused the Congress of “deliberately deferring the action on sealing to make it an election issue next year.”

“The Congress plans to act on the sealing issue only a few months before the elections so that people are made to believe that the party made an attempt to save them from the perils of sealing,” he added.