The Supreme Court today directed top officials of the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) and the South Delhi Municipal Corporation to appear before it next week and explain why they were not taking action on unauthorised construction in the city.
A bench of Justices Madan B Lokur and Deepak Gupta passed the order directing the DDA vice-chairman and the SDMC deputy commissioner to appear before it on July 18.
The direction was issued on the basis of a report filed by the court-mandated monitoring committee which has claimed that the authorities were not taking action against illegal constructions on the ground that amendments in the Master Plan of Delhi-2021 were not finalised yet.
Referring to another report filed by the committee, the bench said the panel has also said that police force was not being made available to them to carry out the sealing drive.
The court also said that as per report of the committee, unauthorised constructions were going on in the city, that too on the fourth floor, at several places.
"The L&DO (Land and Development Office), which come under the Union of India, says that complete survey of South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) area is required to be conducted after the monitoring committee gave a list of unauthorised constructions in the area," the bench observed.
Additional Solicitor General A N S Nadkarni, appearing for the Centre, said he would go through the reports of the monitoring committee and find out the details.
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The court, however, said that as per one of the reports of the committee, the authorities have shown "unwillingness" to act against unauthorised constructions on the ground that the Centre has instructed them not to proceed till amendments in the Master Plan were finalised.
"We need to file a reply to this. No such instructions were given," Nadkarni told the court.
The bench also observed that one of the reports indicated that roof-top pubs and dance floors were operating in SDMC area.
The monitoring committee, comprising K J Rao, former advisor to the Election Commissioner; Bhure Lal, chairman of Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority; and Major General (Retd) Som Jhingan, was set up on March 24, 2006, by the top court.
The court had on May 24 rejected the Centre's plea seeking modification of its order in which the DDA was asked to invite suggestions from the public on amending the Master Plan of Delhi-2021.
A special task force (STF) was also constituted on April 25 following an apex court order and it was set up to oversee enforcement of laws on unauthorised constructions in Delhi.
The top court is dealing with the issue relating to the validity of the Delhi Laws (Special Provisions) Act, 2006 and subsequent legislations which protect unauthorised construction from being sealed.
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