Bullets, bulldozers

For traders8217; anger, blame politicians who let them demolish the law. The court should stay the course

The scenes of the violence from the Capital on Wednesday were extremely disturbing. But to perceive the court-ordered sealing drive as the primary reason for the chaos on the streets would amount to a serious misreading of the situation. The fact is that things would never have come to this sorry pass if Delhi8217;s politicians representing the two major parties had played by the rule book. Instead, they have sought to dodge court orders and influence the municipal authorities to go slow on demolitions of unauthorised commercial structures. And now the Union urban affairs minister has plans to convene a special session of Parliament on the issue. By creating the impression that the status quo will be maintained by any means, they have created the grounds for the present frustration and anger on the part of those who have benefited for years from the wink-and-nudge brand of governance.

It is the courts which have again had to stand steadfastly by the rule of law and hold out hope to those held to ransom by Delhi8217;s traders8217; lobbies. It is a familiar story.

Remember the ruckus over the court-ordered switch from diesel to CNG for Delhi8217;s public transport? How the politicians dragged their feet on the issue, encouraged by the powerful transport lobby? For three whole years, nothing moved.The state bus service did nothing, the private bus lobby did nothing, the CNG kits were not ready, CNG supply was elusive. The moment the court refused to delay the reform any further, there was violence. Buses were burnt and angry men roamed the street. But despite that, things fell into place. Today that revolutionary switch to green fuel is cited as one of Delhi8217;s great achievements.

We would, therefore, urge the court to stay the course. Not just for the rule of law but for Delhi8217;s future. The time has also come throw out the anachronistic rent control law which has contributed immensely to skewing the property market. One of the great incentives for traders to remain where they are, is the ridiculously low rents they pay. The court should now start asking some tough questions about why Delhi has proved to be so impervious to rent reform.