Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit is exploring legal options including appealing in a court and filing a representation to the President against an Lokayukta order which slammed her for “misrepresenting” facts about construction of low cost flats in the run up to 2008 assembly polls.
“All legal options are being explored including challenging the order and making a representation to President Pratibha Patil,” Dikshit’s lawyer Mehmud Prasha said. Claiming that there were contradictions in the Lokayukta order, he said a final decision on the issue will be taken after thorough examination of the order. In an embarrassment to Dikshit, the Lokayukta today slammed her for “misrepresenting” facts by announcing in the run up to 2008 assembly polls that 60,000 low-cost flats were ready and recommended to the President to censure her. When sought her reaction, Dikshit refused to comment saying she has not seen the order. But added that the “government never tried to misled people” on the issue.
“Distribution of flats among the slum dwellers is not an easy task. Lakhs of people want flats. The process is continuing. We are trying to make policies perfect,” she said. The Lokayukta order said although 60,000 flats were not ready, Dikshit, in her message published in a booklet ahead of the assembly polls in 2008, said the flats were ready for distribution. Explaining difficulties in removal of slums, Dikshit said although the government wants to clean up the flats and construct new houses for the slum-dwellers, the process is not easy.
“We want to take maximum precaution. The process is not easy. We had a problem of cut off date for the applicants. There is a procedure and we want to ensure a just procedure in distribution of the flats,” Dikshit said.
At the AICC briefing, Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari however, refused to comment on the Lokayukta’s report saying he has not seen it. “I have not seen the report. It is not appropriate to comment on it without reading the report,” Tewari said when asked to comment on Lokayukta’s indicting the Delhi Chief Minister.
Lokayukta Justice Manmohan Sarin’s order came following investigation into the complaint filed by advocate Sunita Bhardwaj, a BJP worker. According to Delhi government officials, Government has already started the allotment process of nearly 10,000 low-cost flats to slum dwellers in the city. Delhi Government’s infrastructure agency Delhi State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (DSIIDC) has completed construction of 9,660 houses which will soon be handed over to Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB) for allottment. The DUSIB had also constructed a total of 1,024 low-cost dwelling units in Dwarka.
Meanwhile senior BJP leader V K Malhotra, reacting to the Lokayukta order, said crores of rupees had been spent by Dikshit on the “advertisement for announcing schemes only to get political mileage, but it proved as betrayal.”
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