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Another day of uncertainty for Delhiites

Josy Joseph in New Delhi

Delhi woke up Tuesday morning to uncertainty for the third consecutive day with the schools closed, most office-goers confined to their homes and Delhi police on high alert, as agitating owners and workers of the city's industrial units continued their protests.

The agitation is against the Supreme Court's order to close down all polluting and non-conforming units in the city.

The city police has deployed almost its entire strength of over 50,000 personnel across the capital, which has almost 40 industrial estates and over a lakh non-conforming and polluting units.

The Rapid Action Force is also on alert and several of its battalions are on stand by. More companies of the RAF have been summoned, a spokesman for the Delhi government said.

A security blanket has been thrown around Parliament and its surroundings and prime minister's 7 Race Course Road residence.

"We would not take any risk," a senior official handing VIP security said.

The transport from surrounding areas of Delhi and from its outskirts is likely to be disturbed on Tueday once again. National Highway no. 8 from Jaipur and the roads running to Haryana, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh are also likely to be blocked by the agitators.

At the time of this report being filed, the Delhi police control room did not report any untoward incidents.

During Monday's chakka jam one person was killed, several vehicles burnt, sub-divisional magistrates and other local officials gheroed and traffic thrown to chaos.

Schools, both governmental and private, have been closed for two days.

The Congress government of Delhi is blaming the Union government led by the Bharatiya Janata Party, especially Union Urban Affairs Minister Jagmohan, for the present chaos.

Six of the seven BJP MPs from Delhi Monday met Jagmohan and registered their protests over the haphazard manner in which the Supreme Court order was being implemented.

The main grouse is that the closing units have not been provided alternative sites to start anew, and time given to them for relocation has been cut short in the wake of a contempt notice issued to Delhi's chief secretary and Municipal Corporation of Delhi's commissioner.

According to informal estimates, there are almost 4 to 5 lakh workers employed in these small-scale units.

The long-drawn legal battle began on December 30, 1995 when the Supreme Court directed the MCD not to grant/renew licences of any non-conforming industrial units.

The apex court in 1999 September directed that the entire process of relocation be completed by December 31, 1999. After the deadline, the court said all those who have not complied with the court order should be sealed.

Delhi government tried to seek time till March 2004, but the apex court shot back with notices to the city government, Urban affairs ministry, MCD, Delhi chief secretary and Delhi Development Authority asking to show cause why they did not carry out the earlier orders.

In September 2000, the court appointed the Urban Affairs Ministry as the nodal agency for ensuring the implementation of its orders. On November 14, the court said the nodal agency had not taken any action to close down the units, and issued contempt notices to Delhi chief secretary and municipal commissioner for non-compliance of its orders.

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