Indian Express 09.12.2010
Irked by sealing drive, Lalita Park building owners assault councillor
Express News Service Tags : Municipal Corporation of Delhi, East Delhi Lalita Park accident Posted: Thu Dec 09 2010, 02:58 hrs
New Delhi: A sealing drive by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) in East Delhi’s Lalita Park irked a few building owners, who allegedly roughed up an MCD councillor and blocked a road in the area. Last month, Lalita Park had seen a building collapse that left over 70 persons dead.It was while MCD officials were involved in sealing activities at 17 buildings, which violated the permissible limit of 15 metres, that building owners assaulted councillor Sohan Lal at a parking lot in the area. The police have registered a case in this regard.
Speaking to Newsline, Lal said that he had gone to the spot to check the proceedings when the incident occurred. When he returned to the parking lot, five persons came up to him and started abusing him. “Then, one of them hit me on the head with a brick. Four of my companions were also hurt in the incident,” he said, adding that he had to get his wound stitched in a nearby hospital.
Another group of 20 persons had come with the five who attacked Lal, but they remained outside the parking lot. Meanwhile, a large group of building owners started protesting on the busy Vikas Marg, blocking the traffic for a while, a senior police officer said.
The civic agency has asked the owners of 638 buildings in Shahdara South Zone to check their properties for structural safety and get them regularised. The Lalita Park tragedy has turned the spotlight on unauthorised buildings across the Capital.
