These industries are illegal under the Delhi Development Authority's Master Plan for Delhi, as they have defied the land use pattern and are operating from residential premises or developmental land. The draft policy is awaiting a clearance from the DDA for its amendment of the Master Plan.

Though these areas fall in thickly polluted residential areas of South, East and West Delhi, officials say that they have to be regularised because the Government has no land to relocate them and the industrialists refuse to go to the outskirts of the city.

One opinion, against which theindustrial lobby is working, is that these industries are already enjoying concessions, and should be moved -- especially the polluting ones.

As these areas are not categorised as industrial, they are yet to be classified as polluting or non-polluting units. The units, therefore, do not yet face any threat of being relocated to areas outside Delhi, according to the Supreme Court directive for hazardous polluting units. Also the industries enjoy the services like power, water and land at subsidised residential rates and not at industrial rates.

The other opinion, which finds favour with many in and outside the government, is that because most of these areas are completely industrialised, there was no point in calling them residential areas and they should be categorised as industrial areas and charged for services accordingly.

While there are about 18 such areas, the larger ones are Rithala, Smaipur Badli, Anand Parbat, Dilshad Garden, Qarawal Nagar, Vishwas Nagar and Piragari.

Says an official of the Industries Department: ``There is no land for industries in Delhi. There is no land for relocating the identified 52,000 polluting industries, because not a single industrialist wants to shift to the outskirts of the city where 14,000 acres has been acquired for the purpose''.

According to Delhi Industries Minister Narendra Nath, a survey is being done in these areas to ascertain the nature of the industries. He adds: ``Relocation is not easy. Once the survey is complete then at least the hazardous units would have to be shifted out''.

Another new facet of the draft policy is that industrialists would be allowed a ``change of trade.'' ``The nature of the industry can be changed unlike before, under the industries permitted by the Master Plan. Again for this, the DDA has to amend the Master Plan which is long overdue''. According to Nath, the ground work has begun on the hi-tech park, part of the draft policy, to come near the Palam airport. Just acquiring the land would cost the Delhi Government around Rs 160 crore.

A single-window system would be developed at an office in Patparganj where under one roof industrialists can find all the concerned departments including DSIDC, DFC, and MCD's licencing branch.

The policy also suggests single-point power connections so that a tab can be kept on power theft. Also 70 industries have been identified as household industries which be allowed in residential areas. These include tailors, automobile workshops, confectioneries, flour mills and data processors.