The city government today assured the Delhi High Court that it will inform within four weeks the exact progress in removal of unauthorised religious structures on public land in the city.
Appearing before a special bench of justices S Muralidhar and Rajiv Sahai Endlaw, Chief Secretary D M Spolia sought more time and said "more time is required to file a comprehensive report and in the meanwhile, there will be substantial progress in the work."
The bench granted four weeks time while saying "it is your bounden duty to help the judiciary, If you don't help, then how will we ask DDA and others for the compliance of our order"?
Last week, the court had summoned the senior officer after he failed to comply with its direction to convene an urgent meeting to draw up a time-bound action plan for removal of illegal religious structures on government land and work out modalities to negotiate with people living nearby who are expected to object to the demolitions.
Earlier, taking note of Delhi government's Religious Committee report on the large number of illegal religious structures on public land in the city, the bench had issued certain directions.
The senior officer was also directed to hold within two weeks a meeting of the Joint Secretary of the union Home Ministry, the Principal Secretary (Revenue), GNCTD, the Vice Chairman of DDA, the Delhi Police Commissioner and the Special Secretary, Home Department, GNCTD to draw an action plan and file a compliance report.
