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Police teargas protesting industrial workers in Delhi

Police resorted to teargas in several places across New Delhi as industrial owners and workers protesting against sealing of their units in residential areas hit the streets for the third consecutive day Tuesday.

The agitationists blocked traffic in Seelampur in northeast Delhi, Prahladpur in northwest, Mundka and Dabri in southwest and Gandhi Nagar in east Delhi resulting in massive traffic jams, Police Commissioner Ajai Raj Sharma told PTI.

Meanwhile, Ajab Singh, a carpenter from Uttar Pradesh, who was seriously injured in Monday's police firing in Welcome area of northeast Delhi, died late Monday night, Sharma said.

The condition of the remaining four, who were injured in the firing and are under treatment at the GTB hospital, is out of danger, he said.

''No large scale violence has been reported so far'', Sharma said, adding that the closure of polluting units consequent to the Supreme Court order was being carried out.

There were reports of mobs resorting to stone pelting in some places.

"The officers are restricting themselves to the closure of only polluting units and we are providing them with full protection," Sharma said.

Besides 40 companies of Delhi Armed Police, four companies of the Rapid Action Force have been deployed in northeast and northwest Delhi and two more companies would be provided later in the day, the police chief said.

Conceding that "softness" on the part of police Tuesday, Sharma warned the rioters that police would take "very harsh steps" if they resorted to violence.

A total of 53 police personnel were injured and over 100 persons were detained during Monday's violence, he added.

Meanwhile, Environment and Forests Minister T R Baalu told the Lok Sabha Monday that there are 96,000 industries located in residential areas in Delhi, of which only 683 have installed effluent treatment plants.

The Delhi government and Delhi Pollution Control Committee had issued closure directions against the water polluting industries not having ETPs, Baalu said.

While 967 identified water polluting industries have been allotted specific plots in Narela and Badli complexes, 5,619 other polluting industries have been allotted plots in Bawana and Badli, the minister said in a written reply.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court Tuesday saw a parallel in the arguments of Delhi government on the arson and violence that gripped the national capital to that advanced by Karnataka government in Veerappan case for release of the bandit's associates.

While Delhi government sought to go slow on the closure of the industries in residential and non-conforming areas to appease rioters who held the city to ransom Monday, the Karnataka government had defended release of associates of Veerappan, who had held Kannada matinee idol as hostage, to prevent widespread linguistic unrest.

Referring to the "go slow" plea of Delhi government, a three-judge Bench comprising Justices B N Kirpal, N Santosh Hegde and Brijesh Kumar said, "This was the argument advanced when Veerappan case was heard by the apex court."

The bench said, "All that we had told the government was to implement the law. But you want to direct lawlessness. Then repeal the master plan and everything will be legal."

Additional Solicitor General Kirit Raval immediately sought a clarification on behalf of Union urban development ministry saying "We hope the abrogation of master plan was spoken of by the court in disgust and there is no direction."

Justice Kirpal said, "Of course the observations were made in utter disgust" and added "If the government had its way they would abroagate all laws."

EARLIER REPORTS
Another day of uncertainty for Delhi
Industrial workers go on a rampage

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