Freeing up 4400-cr land to reforming MCD: Court panel’s push, prod made Delhi difference

The Committee, comprising B L Vohra and R S Gupta, both retired IPS officers, besides a CBI official R K Mishra, is assisted by nine advocates who serve as Court Commissioners.

The High Court will hear the MCD’s challenge next month but a close look at the committee’s own reports shows the difference it has made to the city.

Consider these:

• In its latest report, presented on January 8 to the bench headed by Chief Justice M K Sharma, the committee said that roughly over Rs 4,000 crore worth of land has been vacated in the national capital.

• This land has been “partially valued” at approximately Rs 4,400 crore. Part of this has been certified by government agencies and part has been calculated at conservative estimates.

• That’s not all. Additional land measuring 2,500 bighas has also been vacated. But since the same has not been officially valued, its value would run into crores.

• The encroachments which were removed are spread across the city: the Ridge area, Aya Nagar in South Zone, Vikas Marg, Seelampur in Shahdara, Lajpat Rai Market, Jama Masjid area in the City Zone, Sultanpuri, Kishangarh in Najafgarh Zone and Subhash Nagar in West Zone.

• Result: Both the Corporation and Delhi Development Authority are “therefore, richer by thousands of crore.” And this could not have happened had it not been for the directions of the High Court and the effort of the Court commissioners.

• It was the committee’s recommendations that forced MCD to get its act right on several fronts: from collection of demolition charges to increasing the strength of its Vigilance department and raising public awareness about illegal construction by launching the prosecution drive.

• In its fifth report submitted on November 16, the committee revealed that MCD has been lax in collection of demolition charges. Since January 1, 2001, over Rs 3.8 crore were pending while only Rs 73 lakh were recovered. In fact, the committee acknowledged that while the MCD Commissioner may not have issued a public notice to defaulters, Special Recovery Officers had been appointed in each zone.

• The committee helped the MCD upgrade its technology and disaster-management machinery for demolition by getting the High Court push the agency on its recommendations.

• It was the committee’s recommendations that brought about a construction task force in the entire city and got the MCD to increase the strength of its Engineering department.

• Restructuring of Vigilance Department: In its first report, the committee showed how the Vigilance Department, the “eyes and ears of the Commissioner”, was ineffective because it had only 26 posts for investigations, sanctioned about two decades ago. The committee recommended that the department strength be doubled from 26 to 52 urgently as the strength of MCD had doubled and Delhi’s population had increased considerably. Despite raising the point again in its next report on August 17, 2006, the committee noted “needful has still not been done even though three-and-a half months have passed”. It, however, recorded that the restructuring report of the Chief Vigilance Officer had been prepared. The committee was told that action would be taken on the basis of this report.

• Allotting a unique 16-digit number to every property in Delhi: Work has already begun after the Chief Secretary took it up with the MCD commissioner and other authorities. But it was again the committee’s suggestion. In October last year, the panel asked the government to allot a unique number to every property and structure in Delhi. This will go a long way in administering each property. This project is likely to be complete in two years.

• Construction Task Force: The committee’s repeated reminders have led to the scheme for patrol teams who will gather ground information. This task force, which will move in Gypsies and motorcycles, will record the extent of unauthorized construction, any encroachment on public land. The information gathered by the task force will then be compiled on a daily basis at the MCD central control room. In addition, ongoing/new construction too will be reported. This will help prepare a database and a control mechanism for the future.