HC seeks LG's response on plea seeking de-notification of land

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday sought response from the Lt. Governor on a petition seeking de-notification of about 80 bighas of land in north Delhi acquired by the government in 2009 for construction of a 100-metre-wide road.

A division bench of Justice B.D. Ahmed and Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva also issued notice to Delhi Development Authority (DDA) and the state land and building department on the petition filed b y Residence Welfare Association of Anand Vihar Colony in Pooth Khurd village, as it ordered status quo with regard to the title and possession of the land till next date of hearing on October 24.

The land owners have moved the court after their representation seeking de-notification of the land was rejected by Lt. Governor Najeeb Jung earlier this month.

Advocate Surat Singh, appearing for the association, said that another land for the project has been already acquired by the government in 2003 but some portion has been illegally encroached upon by some people and that the land owning agency, DDA, has not been able to remove the unauthorised occupation.

"After failing in its public duty to remove the unauthorized constructions, government has chosen an easier option of diverting the road-seeking acquisition of the land of the petitioners."

The plea said the diversion of the road was against the master plan 2001-2021 referring to a report of an executive engineer and sought order for a direction to the DDA to demolish the unauthorized structure on the public land.

Singh said: "If the DDA land is freed from existing illegal enc roachment, no further land would be needed for constructing the road and petitioners will be spared the agony and the suffering of being deprived of their lands."

--IANS

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