HC pulls up MCD for allowing unauthorised constructions

The Delhi High Court today pulled up the municipal corporations for allowing unauthorised constructions in the city and directed them to ensure that no such structures come up anywhere.
"We are troubled by so many properties coming up all over the city every day. It is not stopping," a bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice Anu Malhotra observed.
"There are so many unauthorised constructions in the city. How could you allow them to come up? How can you allow people to make such huge structures," it asked.
The bench directed them to "ensure no such unauthorised constructions come up anywhere in the city", during the hearing of a PIL seeking direction to the municipal body to restrain a north Delhi resident for bringing up illegal constructions.

In their defence, the corporations contended that they have been periodically taking action against unauthorised constructions by issuing show cause notices and sealing them, but those responsible kept raising new ones.
The corporations also said they have sought the help of the police to keep a watch over properties which have been identified as unauthorised.
To this, the bench said "this I am hearing since 1985 that the police has not given any assistance to bring down the unauthorised construction. You (counsel for north MCD) tell me a single case, where you have demolished any such property. Demolition is just a cosmetic."

It also said that court orders were not being followed and unauthorised buildings were coming up regularly.