The Supreme Court on Thursday came down heavily on the authorities over unauthorized construction in the Delhi-National Capital region, saying only “face-saving exercises” were being done on the issue.
The bench of Justice Ehsanuddin Amanullah and Justice Shail Najoo said that only construction workers had been arrested, not officials in charge of the areas where the abuses were occurring.
“Only face-saving exercises are being conducted, where only construction workers, etc. are arrested, and not the officials in charge of the areas where widespread violations have taken place. We reiterate the concern of this court as expressed on May 20,” the Supreme Court bench observed, as quoted by Bar & Bench.
In its May 20 order, the Supreme Court specifically highlighted the rampant abuses in Delhi Lajpat Nagar and Sarojini Nagar, observed that such structures were inherently unsafe because they could not bear the excessive loads placed on them.
The authority warned that it would hold those responsible personally responsible and would issue strict orders against those found responsible. The court referred to recent incidents of building fires and building collapses, including… Malviya Nagar fire, Lucknow fire and Saket building collapse. “We hoped officials would take action, but nothing happened,” she said.
Noting that several major incidents, including the Saket Building collapse, Malviya Nagar fire and Lucknow fire, occurred after those directions, the bench said that large-scale mishaps in the Lucknow metropolitan area were “well documented” in news reports.
Supreme Court criticizes MCD
the The Supreme Court also criticized the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), expressing strong dissatisfaction with its behaviour, and observed that despite issuing notices to violators, the authorities failed to take follow-up action.
Justice Amanullah noted that despite the Supreme Court’s directions restricting construction work, “extensive works were undertaken in collusion with MCD”.
“We will issue orders, and this will pinch a lot of people. We will place personal responsibility on the officers and we will talk in black and white,” the “Bar & Bench” website quoted the jury as saying.
The court ordered the formation of an inspection team including two senior professors from IIT Delhi and two draftsmen to assess the situation on the ground. This team will be accompanied by officials from MCD.
The team has been asked to examine Saket, Lajpat Nagar and Sarojini Nagar areas and submit its findings.
After submissions from NDMC, the court ordered that the search in Delhi be limited to Malviya Nagar, Saket and Lajpat Nagar, while a similar operation in Lucknow will cover Aliganj. The inspection will be coordinated by Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhatti.
The Supreme Court also directed the Tamil Nadu government to provide details of every action taken against illegal constructions in the state.
Why does the Supreme Court come down so heavy?
The Supreme Court has harshly punished the authorities after several recent major incidents, such as the Saket Building collapse, Malviya Nagar fire, and Lucknow Training Center fire.
A multi-storey building collapsed in Sidulagab, Saket district in May this year, killing six people. The building includes a training institute, cafes and offices, while construction work was underway on the upper floor at the time of the collapse. According to police, the building owner was planning to build two additional floors despite the apparent violations.
At least 15 people were killed and nine others injured after a massive fire engulfed a three-storey commercial building in Lucknow’s Aliganj area on June 22. At least 15 people were killed and nine others injured after a massive fire engulfed a three-storey commercial building in Aliganj.
