Plea to stop e-auction of stalls at Dilli Haat: HC seeks Centre, DTTDC stand

The Delhi High Court Friday sought responses of the Centre and the AAP government's tourism promotion body, DTTDC, on a plea seeking to stop the e-auction of stalls at Dilli Haat here.

A bench of Chief Justice Rajendra Menon and Justice A J Bhambhani issued notices to the Ministry of Textiles and the Delhi Tourism and Transportation Development Corporation (DTTDC), seeking their stand by August 6 on the plea by an association representing crafts people from across India.

The association, Dastakari Haat Samiti, has contended in its plea that while the ministry was responsible for building and allocation of stalls at Dilli Haat, the DTTDC was to collect all the income generated there and to maintain it.

However, the DTTDC has issued the Dilli Haat Operation and Management Rules 2006, under which it has given to itself wide discretionary powers to allot stalls, the petitioner association has claimed.

The petition has also claimed that the DTTDC was also setting up temporary stalls in violation of the circular which governs the functioning of Dilli Haat, an open air food plaza cum crafts market.

The association has alleged that the corporation has been in the past "indiscriminately" allocating stalls without consulting the ministry.

It also said that now the DTTDC has started e-auction of the stalls to persons who deal in handmade gifts, household items, furniture, khadi and pre-cooked food which is contrary to the circular regarding allotment of stalls.

The petition has claimed that according to the circular governing functioning of the market, stalls were to be allocated for 15 days to "genuine craftsmen" to sell products made by them.

Apart from seeking that the circular's mandate be followed, the association wants an inquiry into irregularities alleged by it, quashing of the rules issued by the DTTDC, prohibition on e-auction of stalls and stopping construction of additional stalls.