NEW DELHI: Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri has said “contours of the solution” to the problem of the ongoing sealing drive in the national capital was “almost ready” and asked for “slight patience” to provide relief to traders.
The traders in Delhi have been protesting against the sealing of commercial establishments running from residential areas or premises.
The housing and urban affairs minister said the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) had attended to 700-800 formal submissions by various stakeholders on the proposed amendments in the Delhi master plan 2021 to ease the problem, besides having an oral hearing to the suggestions and grievances of the public.
Work is more or less complete and I can assure you that we have contours of the solution to the problems of Delhi almost ready, he told reporters on the sidelines of an event here.
Noting that the sealing in Delhi was carried out on the directions of the apex court, Puri said the authorities concerned, including the housing and urban affairs ministry and DDA, would file an affidavit in the court regarding the matter.
He said the DDA has also approved proposed changes in the Delhi master plan 2021.
It is all work in progress. All I request is slight patience, the minister said.
The DDA had proposed to amend the master plan by providing uniform Floor Area Ratio (FAR) for shop-cum-residence plots or complexes on par with residential plots, as given to properties on mixed-use streets.
The FAR is the ratio of a building’s total floor area (gross floor area) to the size of the piece of land on which it is built.
The immediate problem (in Delhi) was created due to sealing which was carried out on the directions of the Supreme Court. “All I can tell you that the Delhi LG, the DDA vice chairman, myself and my ministry’s secretary and other senior officers have been working non-stop for the last 15 days (on it),” he said.
The Supreme Court had earlier observed that the rule of law over sanction to construct buildings had “completely broken down” in Delhi and expressed concern over illegal constructions. -PTI
