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Homeless Shelter Demolished
The Supreme Court on Thursday granted interim protection for a week to two petitioners facing demolition of properties in Uttar Pradesh, and directed that status quo be maintained by the parties till then. A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta asked the petitioners, who said that partial demolition of their residential or marriage hall premises was already carried out by the authorities, to approach the Allahabad High Court for appropriate order. The bench said it is granting interim protection for a week considering that partial demolition has already been affected. "Further considering the aforesaid fact, we grant interim protection for a period of one week from today as status quo would be maintained by the parties," the bench said. The top court made clear that interim protection granted by it would not influence the high court in entertaining the petition and considering the prayer for stay on its own merits. The bench passed the order while hearing a plea seeking
Renewed efforts were made by the administration on Wednesday to persuade hoteliers and locals refusing to allow the demolition of two precariously standing hotels in subsidence-hit Joshimath in Uttarakhand. A fresh round of talks was held between Secretary to the Chief Minister, Meenakshi Sundaram and the protesters who have been demanding compensation on the lines of Badrinath before the demolition exercise is undertaken. Hotels 'Malari Inn' and 'Mount View' are leaning towards each other dangerously, posing a threat to the human settlements around the structures. The Uttarakhand government had directed the razing of unstable structures on Monday, starting with these two buildings. Talking to reporters, the senior official clarified that only two hotels in Joshimath have to be dismantled and not the houses demarcated as unfit for living. "I want to clarify one thing. Only two hotels are to be dismantled. Demolition, though being used widely, is not the precise word in this context