The National Green Tribunal has directed the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB) to hand over a piece of land in Lajpat Nagar to a traders' body for parking purposes.
The land, which measures around 5,000 square metres at Kasturba Niketan in Lajpat Nagar area of South Delhi, was allotted to the traders' body by the tribunal in 2015 to minimise traffic congestion in the busy marketplace.
A bench headed by acting NGT Chairperson Justice Jawad Rahim asked the traders' body and the DUSIB to visit the spot and said that the possession of the property be handed over if not done already.
During the hearing, advocate Gautam Singh, appearing for the traders' body, said the Board has again locked the gate after opening it for a month.
The counsel for the Board, however, told the tribunal that the applicant was already in possession of the land and they were being harassed unnecessarily.
"In the circumstances, we direct that there should be joint visit to the spot by the applicant and the officers of the Board and the possession of the property be handed over if already not handed over to the applicant.
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"If the possession is found to be with the applicant, then it may be recorded in the form of panchnama (record of observation ) and submitted to the tribunal. This shall be done within two weeks from now. We permit the Board to take necessary photographs for the tribunal," the bench said.
The NGT had earlier issued a show-cause notice to the DUSIB over why action should not be taken against its erring officials for not handing over the land.
The tribunal was hearing a plea seeking execution of the NGT order directing DUSIB to allot the land as a temporary parking site for parking of vehicles till a multi-level parking is constructed by South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) in that area.
The plea contended that despite filing an affidavit in the tribunal, the board has not handed over the land till date and sought action against the officers concerned.
The tribunal had disposed the matter in pursuance to the DUSIB's affidavit stating that it would hand over the land to the traders' body.
The traders' body had earlier said that despite the order of the NGT, DUSIB issued a show cause notice to it after inspection in September 2016 and later denied permission to the applicant to utilise the space for parking.
Despite numerous letters and representations, DUSIB has not taken any action in this regard which led the traders to file the petition, seeking directions to the board to earmark the plot and comply with the NGT's 2015 direction, the plea had said.
The petition had said that vehicles were being parked on both sides of the metalled road in total violation of the orders of the tribunal and it was difficult to move on the footpath which also have been encroached upon.
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