More mix-up on mixed

d p habitat
April - 06
HB03
THE HINDUSTAN TIMES, DELHI, 01 APR 2006
IN THE SUPREME COURT
More mix-up on
mixed-land use
HT Correspondent
New Delhi, March 31
THE SUPREME Court on Friday refused to clear the air over
the confusion created by the Union government's notification
of March 28 — permitting mixed-land use alongside certain
roads — which has thrown the MCD's ongoing sealing drive
against commercial misusers in residential areas into a state
of disarray. The Urban Development Ministry had issued the
notification on the eve of the court set deadline of March 29
to all misusers to shift out of residential areas or face sealing.
An apex court bench, comprising
Justices Y.K. Sabharwal, C.K.
Thakker and R.V. Raveendran, dis- We will wait for the
missed the MCD's plea for a clarifi- monitoring commitcation on whether they should abide tee's report. We
by the court orders as issued on Feb- won't clarify
ruary 16 or take into account the
changes made to Delhi Master Plan anything on an oral
2001 by the notification. "We will submission. All
wait for the monitoring committee's applications
report," was the court's comment towards relaxation
when MCD counsel Sanjeev Sen should be directed
drew the court's attention to the con- to the committee
fusion created by the DDA notification and sought a clarification from -Justice Sabharwal
it. "We won't clarify anything on oral
submission," Justice Sabharwal said. Sanjeev Sen later said
that he was seeking clarification on behalf of the monitoring
committee. The court had earlier in the day refused to entertain petitions from individual traders and shop-keepers seeking relaxation of the date for filing of affidavits to avail of a
breather till June 30 from sealing. The court also turned
away an individual petitioners' request that he be allowed to
stay as the area fell under the mixed-land use. It instead asked
them to approach the monitoring committee, which would
deal with their applications. The committee is expected to
submit its report within a month.
SC committee pulls up MCD for inaction
THREE DAYS after the Union UD Ministry issued a notification on mixed land use in 118 roads, the three-member committee formed by the SC to monitor MCD's action on court's
order — of sealing commercial establishments in residential
areas — has not been provided details of the notification.
The committee headed by Bhure
FIR should be filed
Lal, chairman, Environment Polluimmediately
tion Control Authority had called a
against those
meeting with senior MCD officials
caught breaking the including
commissioner, AK
seal. The MCD
Nigam on Thursday but the latter
should arrange for
failed to inform the committee
video recording of
about details of the notifications.
the entire process
The committee rapped the MCD
to bring violators to for failing to prevent seal tampering by traders and directed them to
book
take stern action against violators.
— Panel on sealing Besides the MCD, the meeting was
also attended by officers of the Delhi Jal Board, NDPL and BSES. "The committee has said
that FIR should be filed immediately against those caught
breaking the seal," said Deep Mathur , MCD spokesperson.
Inadequate security provided by Delhi Police was another issue raised by the committee with the Delhi Police Commissioner, K.K. Paul in another meeting on Friday. The distcoms and the DJB have been directed to coordinate with
MCD and ensure that power and water supply in buildings
that have been sealed are disconnected immediately.
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Habitat encroaching on Infrastructure