EDMC mayor for including 'no meat shops in residential areas' clause in MPD 2041

East Delhi Mayor Shyam Sunder Aggarwal on Monday said he has written to the Lt Governor on a range of civic issues and sought inclusion of the BJP-led EDMC House's earlier decision to not have meat shops in residential areas, in the city's draft master plan 2041.

In a letter dated July 30, the mayor has said that such shops be only allowed on roads falling in ''commercial'' areas.

The mayors of the three municipal corporations in Delhi jointly met Lt Governor Anil Baijal on Monday and sought his intervention in seeking the release of funds ''due'' to the three civic bodies from the city government.

Aggarwal during the meeting, held at the Raj Niwas, handed over copies of two letters to the LG.

''The EDMC House in its decision on October 27, 2020 had given its nod to a proposal to not allow opening of meat shops in residential areas. Running of meat shops in residential areas contributes to spread of air pollution and water pollution, causing inconvenience to local residents,'' the letter reads.

Aggarwal said the Delhi Master Plan 2021 ''allowed'' opening of meat shops in residential areas.

''However, many local residents and members of some religious communities had made representations to the EDMC, saying such shops were causing them inconvenience and mental unease,'' he claimed.

So, in the Master Plan 2041, this clause be added that meat shops be allowed to be open only on streets in commercial areas, the mayor says in the letter.

''We have also sent our suggestions to the DDA,'' he said.

Objections and suggestions with respect to the draft MPD 2041 can be submitted till August 23.

The vision document largely covers the policies of environment, economy, mobility, heritage, culture and public spaces, among others.

Earlier this year, the north corporation and south corporation, both also BJP-led, had cleared proposals making it mandatory for restaurants and shops to display whether the meat being sold or served is halal or jhatka. EDMC had taken a similar step in 2018.

Among other issues raised in the letter, the East Delhi mayor has mentioned the problem of unauthorised constructions and land encroachment.

In the letter, he has claimed that ''many civic officials are hand-in-glove'' in ''getting illegal construction done'' in east Delhi.

In another letter, dated August 2, he appealed to the LG to help halt illegal construction in the area.

From 2017 till now, owners of around 18,000 houses have been booked but ''only superficial work has been done in the name of action taken against them,'' Aggarwal alleged.

So, to improve the image of the corporation and augment its revenue, even if actions need to be taken against ''involved engineers'', it may be taken to remedy the situation, the mayor has said.

On the issues of encroachment, he alleged that after a property has been cleared of encroachment, it again gets encroached due to ''laxity in policing''. Therefore, accountability should lie with the police if encroachment happens again in an area, the letter reads.

There was no immediate reaction from the city police.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)