NEW DELHI: The South Delhi Municipal Corporation on Tuesday started the process of de-sealing properties in residential areas with 185 of these being de-sealed on day one of the excercise.

Mayor Anamika said that the SDMC has started the process of de-sealing, and 173 properties in the South Zone and 12 in the West Zone of the SDMC have been desealed.

She said that de-sealing process will also start in Central and Najafgarh Zones from Wednesday onwards.

The de-sealing process is being initiated in pursuance of a directive by the Supreme Court, he said.

On August 14, the apex court had said that encroachment is a matter of concern but the monitoring committee, set up in 2006 to identify unauthorised structures and check misuse of residential properties in Delhi, "cannot exceed its power" and take any action beyond its authorisation.

A large number of properties, residential and commercial, have been sealed in the last few years for violation of Delhi master plan norms.

The mayor claimed that some properties under the jurisdiction of SDMC were "wrongly sealed by the Monitoring Committee".

"Such 604 properties will be de-sealed under this process. She has also written a letter to all 104 councillors of the SDMC, urging them to identify the sealed properties in their respective areas and help the public in de-sealing, and also make them aware of the process of de-sealing," the mayor's office said in a statement.

She also urged citizens to contact the zonal offices of the corporation for de-sealing of their properties as soon as possible.