Delhi sealing: Are officials sleeping or keeping their eyes closed, asks SC

The Supreme Court today blasted the authorities for letting rampant illegal constructions and encroachments to go on in Delhi and asked whether the officers were "sleeping" or "keeping their eyes closed".

A bench of justices Madan B Lokur and Deepak Gupta said this after Attorney General K K Venugopal, appearing for the Centre, informed that 1,130 applications were received by the authorities in Delhi for de-sealing of premises against whom action was taken for having unauthorised constructions.

Venugopal said that after considering these applications, 405 structures were de-sealed.

"What your officers are doing? You are saying that in 405 cases, no unauthorised constructions were found. What about the rest 700 cases? Are your officers sleeping," the bench asked.

The bench referred to an affidavit filed by the Special Task Force (STF), which was constituted on April 25 following the court's order to oversee enforcement of laws on illegal constructions here, and said that encroachment was there in Delhi on around 695 km of roads.

The Attorney General said that encroachment was going on for decades in the national capital.

"All this is going on. How your officers are keeping their eyes closed," the bench asked.

Venugopal referred to a mobile application launched by Delhi Development Authority (DDA) on July 9 to enable the citizens lodge complaints about illegal constructions and encroachments and termed the issue as "very serious".

"It is one thing to say that people of Delhi should inform (about illegal constructions and encroachments). It is another thing to say that officers, who are sleeping, should wake up. To what extent people of Delhi will inform you," the bench said.

The Attorney General told the bench that steps have been taken to deal with this issue and an action plan was also in place for monitoring of all unauthorised constructions here.

He said that the STF was empowered to issue show cause notices to the officers who would be responsible for coming up of illegal constructions in their areas and if no satisfactory reply was given by them, FIR would also be registered against them, including on charges under the Prevention of Corruption Act.

"Give us an opportunity because this has been carefully thought of. This will bring some sort of change," he said.

Meanwhile, an advocate assisting the court as amicus curiae in the matter said that Forum of MCD Engineers have complained about they being allegedly threatened by ward councillors.

"Have they identified these politicians," the bench said and asked the Attorney General, "what you propose to do if the politicians are doing this? They are ward councillors."
To this, the Attorney General said, "where the people will for shelter?"