New Delhi, Oct 13 (PTI) Lt Governor (LG) VK Saxena on Friday expressed “displeasure” over “grave inaction” of the Delhi government and the DSIIDC in providing basic infrastructure to industrial units relocated to different parts of the city even 26 years after a Supreme Court order, officials said.
During a review meeting, Saxena directed fixing responsibility and taking action on erring officers, the Raj Niwas officials said.
Under a DSIIDC relocation scheme, launched in 1996, industrial units set up in non-conforming or residential areas in violation of the Master Plan were to be shifted to conforming areas through allotment of industrial plots. The Delhi State Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (DSIIDC) had rolled out its industrial relocation scheme in 1996 after an order of the Supreme Court, but the relocated units still lack basic infrastructure such as water, power, transport and sewer lines, the officials said.
“The LG took grave exception to the non-completion and non-operationalisation of the relocation scheme of the DSIIDC, the industries department (of the Delhi government), despite its launch in 1996 following strict directions of the Supreme Court of India,” an official said.
In total, 51,837 applications were received under the scheme, out of which 27,985 units were found eligible for allotment of industrial plots.
The allotments under the scheme started in 1999-2000 and were completed in 2010, but it lies almost totally non-operational, with basic facilities such as roads, power, sewer lines, water and transportation still absent from the relocation areas, the officials said.
In the meeting, which was also attended by Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar, and the additional secretary (industries) and the managing director of DSIIDC, Saxena expressed “shock” at the “inaction” on the part of the agencies and asked for a list of all the officers who had served during this period with responsibility being fixed for stringent action, they said.
Saxena noted that it was a “glaring case of inaction” that specific directions of the Supreme Court were not implemented even after a lapse of 26 years, they said. Members of industrial area associations also complained of lack of facilities for units in the relocated areas.
“They told the LG that against a total allotment of 21,759 plots, only about 200 units were operational and that too with great difficulties. Another 300 units are in various stages of construction,” the official said.
A majority of industrial units allotted plots under the scheme are small units with plot sizes measuring from 100 square metres to 250 square metres.
The officials said that a total of 21,759 allotments have been made under the scheme so far, out of which 21,458 (98.61 per cent) of the allottees have already deposited 100 per cent of the cost of the plots. But these units remain largely non-operational due to lack of basic infrastructure, they added.
Of these allotments, a majority of 15,838 alternative plots have been given in Bawana , followed by 3,917 in Bawana-II (Bhorgarh) and 1,467 in Narela.
The officials said the LG also took strong exception to the “utterly slow pace” of works on part of a power discom in installing street lights in the area. He was also miffed as it took nearly 24 years for installation of street lights to start in 2021 and this is still incomplete, even though an amount of Rs 13.83 crore was already released for it, they said. PTI VIT VIT ANB ANB
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