Civic bodies refuse to proceed, Supreme Court told

New Delhi: A monitoring committee, mandated by the court to identify and seal unauthorised constructions in Delhi, on Tuesday claimed in the Supreme Court that civic bodies have refused to carry out sealing drive on the ground that amendments in Masterplan of Delhi-2021 were not finalised yet.

The masterplan is a blueprint for urban planning and expansion in the city to ensure overall development and the proposed changes are aimed at bringing a uniform floor area ratio (FAR) for shop-cum-residential plots and complexes on par with residential plots.

FAR is the ratio of a building’s total floor area (gross floor area) to the size of the piece of land on which it is built.

The matter was mentioned before a vacation bench of justices U.U. Lalit and Deepak Gupta which said it would hear the issue on June 14.

Senior advocate Ranjit Kumar, who is assisting the SC as an amicus curiae in the sealing matter, referred to the SC’s May 15 order which had said that the monitoring committee would continue with its duties and responsibilities. He placed before the bench the monitoring committee’s report  and said that civic bodies have said that since the amendments in the masterplan was not finalised, they would not allow sealing to go on.

Mr Kumar said that on June 8, the monitoring committee had inspected some areas in south Delhi and asked the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) to take action against some unauthorised structures. “They said we will not seal them,” he said.

To this, the bench asked him to serve the copy of the report to the counsel appearing for the Delhi government, the Centre and the SDMC and said that the matter would be heard on June 14.

Additional Solicitor General M. Singh, who is appearing for DDA, said that he would inform the DDA about it.

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 masterplan.