Civic bodies in Delhi to resume sealing of over 13,000 illegal factories in residential areas

NEW DELHI: The municipal corporations are likely to resume the sealing and closure procedure of more than 10,000 factories operating illegally in residential areas.

“The step-1 and step-2 for the closure of such polluting units were completed last year. The process of survey and closure was suspended in March due to the pandemic lockdown, but we have been directed to resume the sealing process from October,” a senior official of South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) said.

According to the latest joint report, more than 13,000 illegal factories have been surveyed in all three municipal corporations under step-3, over 9,000 units have got showcause notice and 565 have been sealed, a senior official said.

“We had assured courts and National Green Tribunal that the process was stopped due to Covid-19 and the lockdown, which prompted suspension of activities in all industries after March 22. We are duty bound as per the Supreme Court orders to ensure that no polluting industry is allowed in residential or non-conforming areas,” the official said.

He added that many of these factory owners were provided alternate plots in industrial areas but they continued to function in residential localities. “Those who continue to operate the factories will face sealing from next month as enough time has been provided for compliance,” the official said.

SDMC will have to cover more than 5,800 such properties in the survey under step-3, out of which more than 4,000 units have got notice. East Delhi Municipal Corporation has surveyed over 3,400 factories under step-3 and issued notice to 1,870 while North Delhi Municipal Corporation has surveyed over 4,550 units, issuing showcause or closure notices to 3,192 units.

Over 1,156 factory owners in north corporation areas and 183 in EDMC areas have shut their units voluntarily after the notice, the official said, citing the joint report.

Many such units have applied under the household industries category to get relief. The power of granting household industry licence has been devolved from the high-powered committee chaired by Delhi government officials to respective municipal bodies after necessary changes in Master Plan 2021, the official said. The committee had sent 475 such applications to the corporations but very few met the 12-point criteria, he added.

A senior corporation official told a standing committee meeting in August that 1,850 applications were received, out of which 149 were verified by the zones, 36 cases sent back for inspection and two cleared.