MCDs should dissolve themselves, HC says

Irked over non-compliance of its orders by municipal bodies to demolish illegal constructions in the national capital, the Delhi High Court today said the three municipal corporations should get together and dissolve themselves and "let the law of the jungle apply".
"All the three Municpal Corporations of Delhi (MCDs) should get together and dissolve themselves. Let the law of the jungle apply, because illegal constructions are going on everywhere for years despite court orders," a bench of justices Badar Durrez Ahmed and Siddharth Mridul said.
"You want a direction from us to do your work. What is this? You should do it yourself. When you want to demolish, you do it in 30 minutes," the bench also said.

The court made the observations while hearing a plea pertaining to about 22 illegal constructions in Budh Vihar (Tajpur Pahari) colony near Badarpur area of South Delhi and in which the municipal body of that area had assured in May this year that all such buildings would be reduced to rubble.
However, till date none of the constructions, except one, had been demolished, the court was told.
"In May you had promised to raze 22 buildings to rubble. Where is the rubble?" the court asked the counsel representing South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC).

SDMC sought eight weeks more to ensure that all illegal buildings are completely demolished and satisfy the court.

It also said owners of a couple of properties had moved the appellate tribunal of MCD and obtained protection from demolition.
SDMC said all the buildings which have not obtained protection from the appellate tribunal will be demolished but the process will take time, to which the court suggested demolition of all 22 buildings be carried out in one day.
The bench, however, gave SDMC two weeks to file its action taken report with respect to its assurance given in May to reduce to rubble all illegal constructions in the area and listed the matter for further hearing on September 3.