The Hindu Business Line : Demolition troubles

With the expected passage of the Delhi Laws (Special Provisions) Bill, 2006 in Parliament, the Centre would get a year's time to tackle the ticklish issue of demolition and sealing of unauthorised constructions in the National Capital Territory as well as the problem of encroachment by slum dwellers and street-vendors. The demolition drive has been on for a while and local politicians, regardless of party affiliations, have been facing the wrath of their electorate. Since the exercise was on Supreme Court orders, the political machinery was unable to stop it through administrative fiat, and had to take recourse to law. While the apex court's primary objective was to penalise those who had flouted the law by putting up unauthorised constructions, the demolitions threw up another dimension — human misery. Lakhs of low-paid workers have been rendered jobless with their places of work demolished or sealed, while thousands of slum dwellers and street-vendors have been uprooted.

The issue of unauthorised construction on or encroachment of government land is not limited to New Delhi. Almost every State capital and commercial town faces this problem, basically because of growing urbanisation and bureaucratic corruption. Construction beyond sanctioned plans cannot happen without the connivance of municipal and local officials while slum clusters are set up by local politicians for whom they become vote-banks. Successive governments of different political hues have dragged their feet in addressing these problems with the result that matters have now reached the courts. In the case of Delhi, the Centre would have one year to work out what it claims would be a balanced and well-considered view on policies involving unauthorised development. It would also have the benefit of the Tejender Khanna Committee report, which is expected to suggest a comprehensive strategy to deal with unauthorised construction. But the Government should also use the time to identify and penalise the officials responsible for allowing the unauthorised constructions, as otherwise the problem is bound to recur.

The States too must have similar expert committees set up and implement their suggestions. The States should also take up the offer of financial help under the National Urban Renewal Mission, which aims at cleaning up the urban mess even while calling for reform of municipal bodies and streamlining their records. Maintenance of municipal records and easy access to them would help detect malpractices early so that matters do not reach a stage where courts have to step in. If everybody complies with the building laws, there would be a sense of fair play and if local authorities do not allow slums to be set up where they are not supposed to, then one will be spared the painful sight of poor people being pushed on to the roads with their meagre belongings.

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