Supreme Court appointed three member committee
A chain of master plans and building by- law regulations were being flagged at guesthouses, commercial outlets and farmhouses across South Delhi and South West Delhi . A three member committee set up by the Supreme court was appointed as a monitoring committee, which directed civic agencies to take actions on these violations by October 8 and file a compliance report.
Many of the violations were being carried out, the highest attention was being received by the violations that occurred in commercial areas.
The areas which were being covered for inspections are along National Highway 48, Mahipalpur, Dwarka, Vasant Kunj and Rajokri.
The inspection report that dated September 24 said that huge commercial activities are going on all along Mahlpalpur- Vasant Kunj bypass road in the process of violation of MPD- 2021 and it has been viewed that the construction is also unauthorised. It has been said that the road is a non- notified road and commercial activities are not permitted.
The committee observed guest houses being observed in the by- lanes of Mahipalpur village and encroachments were being operated on the pavements along the Abdul Gaffar Khan Marg up to the NH- 48 traffic intersection. The committee said in the report that the Deputy commissioner of Najafgarh zone has been instructed to operate a survey of the entire Mahipalpur area to identify the misusers and take coercive action.
Second phase of inspection
In the second phase of the inspection, the committee found rampant and unauthorised construction of party venues along NH-48 and in few cases, construction was on its process despite notices being issued by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD). The report said highlighting certain instances of construction that there was a shocking reaction when the construction activity was still going on despite the notice being issued. Moreover misuse activities and construction activities were encountered along the NH-48. Pandals were found to be erected and many other sheds along the NH- 48 are carrying out activities in relation to sale of furniture etc.
Picture credit: Hindustan Times
The monitoring committee also found the erection of pandals in farmhouses and properties along the Dwarka Expressway.
The panel noticed at the Bamnoli village that warehouses and godowns came all the way to the periphery of the village. The report said that new warehouses were being observed under construction and familiar activity has been viewed from Dhulsiras, Samalkha, Kapashera and Nangli village.
According to the MCD official commercial activities, warehouses and similar activities are not allowed on agricultural land. The revenue branch has been asked to conduct a survey of these villages.
Picture credit: The Indian Express
The report also highlighted that commercial activities were also pulled on from residential properties in Dwarka sectors 7,12,17 and 18. When the inspection was going on, many wedding points, party halls, banquet halls were found in Sector 7, the report said, instructing for action after 48 hours of serving notice.
The three- member committee was established by the Supreme Court in 2006 to highlight unauthorised structures in Delhi. The committee, consists of former Election Commission of India advisor KJ Rao, former Environment Pollution Control Authority (EPCA) chairman Bhure Lal, and Major General SP Jhingon (retired), was being revived in December 2017, noticed major sealing drives in Defence Colony, Amar Colony, Sunder Nagar and Lajpat Nagar, among conspicuous localities.
On August 14 2020, the Supreme Court emphasized that the monitoring committee is only instructed to act only against commercial properties, not residential ones, therefore restricting its ambits
