Remove squatters near old Delhi station, Delhi HC tells PWD secy

NEW DELHI: Taking note of encroachments on a lane marked for non-motorised vehicles along Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Marg opposite the Old Delhi railway station, the Delhi High Court has asked PWD secretary Ashwini Kumar to personally inspect the stretch and ensure the squatters are removed. The court directed him to start fixing of dislodged kerb stones separating the lane and the main road.

The court was hearing a batch of petitions filed by NGO Manushi Sangathan and others in 2007 over redevelopment of the Walled city area and decongestion of Chandni Chowk and its nearby areas.

A bench of justices S Muralidhar and IS Mehta, in the order passed on Monday, said, “The court is constrained to require Kumar to remain personally present on the next date of hearing (November 22).”

The bench had issued similar directions to Kumar, the chief nodal officer (CNO) for the Shahjahanabad Redevelopment Project, to clear illegal occupations from the road last month.

During the hearing, the bench was told that Kumar had visited SPM Marg and taken note of measures to be taken for the improvement of the stretch .

Following the submission, the court noted, “He (Kumar) will again personally inspect the NMV Lane of SPM Marg and ensure the encroachments are removed, the kerb stones are repaired and all other directions issued by this court as well as by him are implemented.”

TRAFFIC MARSHALS

Delhi Traffic Police’s standing counsel Anuj Aggarwal informed the court that the PWD would bear the cost of the traffic marshals required to supervise vehicular movement in the nonmotorised vehicle lane.

Nitin Panigrahi, deputy general manager (project and administration) of Shahjahanabad Redevelopment Corporation, said the traffic police had been asked to make an assessment on the marshals required.