PWD timeline for Jama Masjid redevelopment unacceptable: HC

Delhi High Court today termed as "unacceptable" and "far-fetched" the time of about two years projected by the city government to redevelop the Jama Masjid area in Old Delhi and directed it to file a revised timeline.
A bench of justices Badar Durrez Ahmed and Sanjeev Sachdeva made the observation and issued the direction after the Public Works Department of Delhi government submitted that the process of reviewing technical bids of consultants, who would carry out the work, would alone take around six weeks and the entire work would be completed only by mid-2017.
"Why would selection of consultant take so much time? This is completely unacceptable. Process of technical evaluation of consultants taking six weeks is unacceptable," it said.

"Timeline is too far-fetched. The process seems to be taking too inordinate amount of time, when it can be accomplished in lesser time," the bench said and directed the PWD to file the revised timeline before November 4, the next date of hearing.
It also directed PWD to envisage putting in place processes that can run parallel while formulating the revised timeline.
The court also directed the North Municipal Corporation of Delhi and the city government to file status reports with regard to encroachers in the area, after the bench was informed that the area was being encroached upon by some people who were running shops there by allegedly paying money to the officials, including cops.

The court was told by the counsel for the petitioners, various associations of shop owners and vendors in the area, that after vacating and demolishing the 600 shops for the project, the authorities were allowing some encroachers to do business there by allegedly accepting bribes from them.
The petitioners have alleged inaction on the part of the authorities in putting into effect the redevelopment plan despite having obtained all legal permissions from all the agencies concerned as well as sanction of Rs 168 crore as a tentative cost of the project.
Initially the redevelopment project was with North MCD, but it was taken over by PWD in December last year.