City traffic woes: HC issues contempt notice to PWD secretary

"It is, however, stated that a meeting took place between Northern Railways and Public Works Department. But the PWD has not forwarded the draft site plan despite a final court order.

"... Even after the lapse of seven months, no site plan has been forwarded by the PWD. We are constrained to to issue the notice of contempt to the secretary of PWD. He shall be present in person in the court to explain the lapse," a bench of justices S Ravindra Bhat and S Muralidhar said and fixed the matter for hearing on February 22.

The court's order came after it was told that the PWD, even after the consultation with the Railways, did not submit the draft site plan to decongest the road outside Old Delhi Railway station here.

It was proposed that the outer wall of the railway station premises will be demolished and the area will be used by the PWD to widen the road and plan the traffic movement in such a way which will lead to decongestion of traffic.

The court was hearing the PIL, filed in 2007 by NGO Manushi Sangathan, raising various civic and other problems including the traffic woes faced by the residents of walled city area.

It, meanwhile, asked Delhi traffic police to consider and re-assess the issue of "blockade and barricading" outside a temple and other religious places at Chandani Chowk area.

"You consider the fact as to whether it (blockade) can be decreased or done away with by deploying more policemen to decongest the area. One thing which you can consider is that you do not allow vehicles' parking on the road," the court said. (More)