Proposal to allot plots for parties

Soon, political parties are going to be allotted vacant land in central Delhi in recognition of the service they render to the Indian democracy and also to get them to vacate a large number of prime government properties they occupy in the Lutyen8217;s Bungalow Zone.

Soon, political parties are going to be allotted vacant land in central Delhi in recognition of the service they render to the Indian democracy and also to get them to vacate a large number of prime government properties they occupy in the Lutyen8217;s Bungalow Zone.

8216;8216;The proposal will be put up before the Cabinet soon. The political parties are a dynamic part of our democracy and they have to be helped,8217;8217; Urban Development Minister Jaipal Reddy said.

The size of the plot will be decided on the basis of the party8217;s strength in Parliament, the minimum being seven members. The land will be allotted at the institutional rate of Rs 88 lakh per acre. Vacant land is already being identified for the purpose.

8216;8216;It8217;s necessary that we give them land within the periphery of central Delhi but away from the Luyten8217;s Bungalow zone,8217;8217; sources said.

However, the land allotted in the past 8212; as in the case of two major Left parties CPI and CPI-M 8212; will not be touched. 8216;8216;Fresh allotments will be made taking into account that whatever has been allotted to the political parties will not be touched,8217;8217; the sources said, adding that the strength of some of the national parties in Parliament had dwindled over time.

While the CPI headquarters at Ajay Bhavan was built on subsidised government land on Kotla Road now renamed as Comrade Inderjit Gupta Marg between 1968-72, CPI-M8217;s central office 8212; A.K. Gopalan Bhavan 8212; became operational in 1991 and is again situated on institutional land on Bhai Bhir Singh Marg in Gole Market. Before that, both the Left parties were housed in V.P. House.

Similarly, the two major national parties 8212; the Congress and the BJP 8212; have their headquarters at 24, Akbar Road and 11, Ashoka Road, respectively, which became operational in 1993. While during the last phase of the NDA rule, BJP was allotted land on Kotla Road at the institutional rate, price negotiation took so much time that it could not get the final approval before the government went out of power.

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Taking queue from the BJP, the Congress and Forward Bloc also asked for allotment of land through concessional rates.

8216;8216;This would not only help

parties set up the office as per their present requirements, but also help getting vacated government properties that are being occupied by them,8217;8217; the sources added.