SC slams Centre over sealing drive

The Supreme Court on Thursday pulled up the Centre for failing to provide a report of the survey conducted of houses in South Delhi's Amar colony to ascertain illegal constructions.

Additional Solicitor General ANS Nadkarni apologised to the court for the time taken by the officers from the Centre to confirm how many houses were surveyed in south Delhi's Amar Colony.

A bench headed by Justice Madan B Lokur said, "don't be sorry, Delhi is sorry. Look at your officers' efficiency. This is why Delhi is where it is."

After waiting for at least 15 minutes for the officer to convey the details of the survey, the bench further said, "This is the efficiency of your people. You would have been exposed if there was live broadcasting. Your people are not doing their jobs and that's why the allegations are made about their connivance and corruption."

At this, Nadkarni replied that people don't need live broadcast, they already know (how the officers work).

"You (government) take months to finalise data, months to analyse it, months to issue show cause notice, months to adjudicate. By then Delhi will collapse and then you will say the petition is infructuous," said the court while hearing plea related to sealing of unauthorised and illegal construction in the national capital.

The court had earlier ordered the Centre and the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) to conduct a survey to find out illegal construction.