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13 Mar 2018 7:10pm

Acting tough :SC asks DDA to explain how conversion charge for commercial use was reduced

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New Delhi :The Supreme Court bench of Justices MB Lokur and Deepak Gupta while listening to PIL on commercial use of premises  came down heavily on the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) and asked how it reduced the one-time conversion charge from Rs. 89,000 per square metre to Rs. 22,000 for traders in Defence Colony.The DDA had done so after traders in Defence Colony whose shops were sealed for not converting land-use had complained that the charges were too steep. Observing that the DDA seemed to be under a “lot of pressure”, the apex court, while hearing an application related to sealing in Defence colony market here, sought to know from the DDA and other civic agencies as to whether the constructions allowed were in sync with environmental laws and what steps they had taken for fire and other safety measures, availability of water, electricity, footpaths for pedestrians and adequate parking facility.

“It appears you are under a lot of pressure. Please file an affidavit to explain why you did it. Will you (DDA) do whatever you want to do? What about environmental law and fire safety,” the court said.

It asked the DDA to file an affidavit in this regard within two weeks. As per a notification issued in December last year, the rate of conversion charge for commercial use of upper residential floors of various markets here was slashed from Rs 89,000 per square metre to Rs 22,274 per square metre of built-up area and the reduced rates would remain in force till June 2018.

The bench also dealt with an application regarding sealing of a lawyer’s office which was operating from the basement of a building in Hauz Khas market.  The bench, which had on January 25 asked the South Delhi Municipal Corporation to de-seal the office, on Monday told the lawyer there were “so many violations”. “You are going to create problems for everybody. It is better you admit that you have made a blunder,” the bench said, refusing to allow it to be regularised. “You close your office by March 31. You cannot regularise it. You are putting the life of people in danger,” the bench said.

The sealing, being carried out under the supervision of a Supreme Court monitoring committee, is being conducted in areas where commercial and mixed-land use is not permitted or where extra floors have been built and balcony and basement were being used illegally. It has become a political issue, and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal will hold an all-party meeting on Tuesday to find ways to give relief to traders and shop owners.



Tagged: SC DDA Conversion charge Defence Colony
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