HC LENS ON PROPOSED PARK NEAR JAMA MASJID

NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court on Tuesday asked the North Delhi Municipal Corporation to stop all construction going on at a site in the vicinity of Jama Masjid near Shaikh Kalimullah shrine.

A bench of justices S Muralidhar and IS Mehta issued direction to the concerned superintending engineer (SE) to dismantle construction if the same is “being done without authorisation” and sought a report on the issue after a site inspection by the municipal official and Nitin Panigrahi, nodal officer of Shahjahanabad Redevelopment Corporation (SRDC).

The court directions came after photographs showing a brick wall being constructed at the site was submitted before the court on Tuesday.

According to the petitioners, the north corporation is developing a ‘heritage park’ at with Local Area Development (LAD) fund of Union minister Vijay Goel. The plot is reserved for construction of shops to rehabilitate shopkeepers who were removed from for the Jama Masjid revamp project.

“The corporation started construction activity despite a stay order from the court,” said Mobin Akhtar, counsel appearing for the petitioners.

However, Goel said that the court ordered was passed without giving appropriate hearing to the municipal corporation.

“This project is close to my heart. I am giving my MPLAD fund for the development of the site, which was encroached upon and dirty for long. The development is being done by the corporation on its own land therefore no one should have any objections. When it was unlawfully occupied no one came forward to get it cleaned,” the minister said.

“If he (superintending engineer) finds that construction is being done without authorisation and in disobedience of the interim orders passed by this court, the said wall is to be immediately dismantled without waiting for further directions,” the court said.

Seeking a report on the matter by May 28, the court also said, “A direction is issued to the commissioner, North Delhi Municipal Corporation to ensure that all such construction activity be immediately stopped.”