Civic body eases process to transfer commercial markets

The North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) has simplified the procedures to freehold 38 commercial markets transferred from the Government of India to the land and estate office of corporation. In these markets there are 4,036 shopkeepers and out of these, more than 50 per cent would get benefited by simplification of procedures and the civic body will get `2.50 lakh to `10 lakh as revenue from each shop according to their area.

The deputy chairman of the standing committee (NDMC), Rajesh Bhatia, said that leaseholders would have to apply along with the necessary document to corporation’s land and estate department. After the registration, the property will be converted from leasehold to freehold within a stipulated period of one month.

According to Mr Bhatia, the standing committee has passed a resolution in this regard and Kamla Market, Gaffar Market, Patel Nagar, Moti Nagar, Ramesh Nagar are some prominent markets included in the list of these commercial markets. The committee has approved the scheme for conversion of commercial plots, properties, commercial complexes, and already built shops to be sold or leased out by the North Delhi Municipal Corporation from leasehold to freehold.

Mr Bhatia claimed that this step will not only benefit coal and woods sellers here, but also the shopkeepers who have taken shops on power of attorney.

The NDMC municipal market at Saraswati Marg, Karol Bagh, New Delhi are not covered under this policy as the shops, halls, office space at the same place are on different tenure and are sub judiced in various courts.

As per proposal, all the commercial properties, plots, and shops will be considered only on one pattern that will be leasehold to freehold basis and charge for the same will be proportional according to the area of particular property and area of the total property.

There are 220 shops which are on leasehold basis, 1,104 shops which are on license fee basis, out of which eight shops in Minto Road Complex, which as per the Cabinet decision 2000, do not come under the purview of conversion as Minto Road Complex has been listed as a non ownership market. In 2006, government of India, through a Cabinet decision, transferred 79 markets to the civic bodies out of which 38 falls under the NDMC.