Delhi HC alludes to an investigation by the CBI into unauthorized building.

NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court bemoaned on Thursday the inability of various authorities to stop unauthorized development, stating that this would result in “complete lawlessness” throughout the city and the collapse of the entire system.

A bench made up of Justice Manmeet PS Arora and Acting Chief Justice Manmohan also alluded to launching a CBI investigation into the failure of all authorities to prevent unauthorized development close to the centrally protected monuments of Nizamuddin ki Baoli and Barakhamba Tomb.
After the inquiry is turned over to the CBI, Delhi Police’s involvement will also be looked at. Everyone ought to have certain responsibilities. It is the result of several agencies failing. We have all been let down by these many ground-level authorities.

The lawyers for the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), Delhi Development Authority (DDA), and Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) were informed by the bench that this was startling.

It further stated that everything would fall and there would be chaos in the city if such blatant development was permitted “in the heart of Delhi.”

The NGO Jamia Arabia Nizamia Welfare Education Society filed a public interest lawsuit in front of the court, alleging that “illegal and unauthorized construction” was taking place at a guesthouse close to the police booth and the Baoli gate of Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah.

The unlawful construction was said to have occurred on the three top levels of an existing shut guesthouse that was illegally built on DDA land close to the monuments. The HC observed that neither MCD nor DDA took any action against the unauthorized construction.

It had previously declared that trespassing on public territory amounted to dacoity and requested that MCD employ technologies to keep an eye out, including drones and satellite imagery.

The court expressed its disapproval of the illegal construction and stated that officials had “serious dereliction of duty” for failing to work on the site despite being informed by the police and ASI.