A day after Supreme Court Appointed Monitoring Committee directed South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) to immediately seal motels, hotels and farmhouses, the standing committee of the SDMC on Wednesday decided to frame a policy to allow motels and hotels for holding social function in the open areas.
The aforesaid policy has provision to defer the sealing of hotels, motels and farmhouses motels in its jurisdiction. The preamble of the policy on Wednesday introduced and approved. To avoid sealing these motels, a meeting in this regard was also conducted on October 16 in the office of SDMC Mayor Narendra Chawala that was attended by Chairperson of standing Committee Shikha Rai, Leader of House Kamaljeet Sehrawat and Commissioner Dr Puneet Kumar Goel to discuss various ways, confirmed sources.
As per the new policy, the definition of pandals, motels and hotels have been changed to provide relief to the owners of sprawling party lawns who host opulent weddings illegally. Sources said the new policy is aimed at saving big fish as they are the major source of unclaimed revenue.
The preamble maintained that the policy would be on the line of that of the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC). The NDMC permit marriages and other social functions in its areas after recovering permission fees, it stated.
The standing meet was called after the Supreme Court-Monitoring Committee wrote a letter to the commissioners of all three Municipal Corporations and DDA, on October 16, directing them to seal these units immediately.