Duty of municipal corporation, police to ensure no encroachment on roads: HC
The Delhi High Court Friday said it is the bounden duty of municipal corporation and Delhi Police to ensure no encroachment takes place on a road or pedestrian zone and directed the authorities to clear the area in and around Munirka village and metro station.
The high court directed the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) and Delhi Police to ensure that no encroachment takes place once the area is cleared.
In our view, it is the bounden duty of the municipal corporation and Delhi Police to ensure no encroachment takes place on the road or pedestrian zone, a bench of Justices Vipin Sanghi and Jasmeet Singh said.
It asked the authorities to file status reports along with photographs of the area.
The court was hearing a petition by Munirka Village Residents Welfare Association claiming that street hawkers have illegally occupied the road and and rampant encroachment is taking place on public road and pedestrian walking zone in an around the Munirka Village and near Munirka metro station.
The petitioner further said all the hawkers have illegal power cables.
On being informed by BSES counsel that they have undertaken survey and booked four cases on September 8, the court said it was not satisfied by the action said the authority has done a window dressing exercise.
It said without the connivance of BSES officials no one can take power lines illegally and directed the chief engineer of the area to ensure that no illegal power lines are taken and no electricity theft takes place. The court asked BSES to file a status report.
Advocate Meenakshi Kalra, representing the petitioner association, said these encroachments are also taking place around Rama Market which is a furniture market and despite repeated requests and representations made to the authorities, no action has been taken.
She said encroachment is hampering smooth walk and obstructing traffic.
Advocate Beenashaw N Soni, appearing for SDMC, said the corporation has been taking action from time to time but the hawkers return once the action is completed.
She also said the area is a no-hawking zone and no tehbazari licences have been granted.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by The Federal staff and is auto-published from a syndicated feed.)
