New Delhi, The Delhi High Court has directed the vice-chairman of the DDA to remove all encroachments and illegal constructions on the bank of the Yamuna river, the river bed and the drains that flow into the river.
A bench headed by acting Chief Justice Manmohan appointed DDA vice-president as nodal officer to coordinate with officials of Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), Delhi Police, DMRC, Irrigation and Control Department of Floods, PWD and Pollution Control of Delhi. for this purpose the Board of Directors and the Forest Department and asked him to convene a meeting of all concerned officials within a week.
The court passed the order on July 8 while hearing a petition seeking directions to demolish certain unauthorized constructions on the bank of river Yamuna near Shaheen Bagh.
The petition also sought directions to the authorities to take measures to prevent illegal constructions on the banks of the Yamuna river and its floodplain in the near future.
"In view of the above, this Court directs the Vice President of the DDA to remove all encroachments and illegal constructions on the bank of the Yamuna River, the river bed and the drains flowing into the Yamuna River," the court, comprising also by Justice Tushar Rao Gedela.
The court asked the DDA vice-chairman to submit a report on the action taken within six weeks.
The petitioner's counsel argued that apart from endangering the ecologically fragile Yamuna floodplain and causing pollution, unregulated construction near the river was endangering people's lives during the monsoon.
The authorities' lawyer admitted that, being an important component of the river ecosystem, the floodplain was a "prohibited activity zone" and any encroachment there caused water diversions that caused flooding in adjacent areas.
The lawyer cited experts to say that the floods in Delhi were man-made as they were mainly caused by the encroachment of drains, banks and river beds that restricted the flow of water into the Yamuna.
The Delhi Police and government counsel said a number of complaints regarding illegal and unauthorized constructions on the bank of river Yamuna had been forwarded to the DDA and MCD for appropriate action.
On April 8, while taking up a case it had initiated on its own over waterlogging in Delhi during monsoon, the high court had ordered removal of encroachment from the Yamuna floodplain and sought a DDA report on the development of biodiversity parks and wetlands there.
A bench headed by acting Chief Justice Manmohan appointed DDA vice-president as nodal officer to coordinate with officials of Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), Delhi Police, DMRC, Irrigation and Control Department of Floods, PWD and Pollution Control of Delhi. for this purpose the Board of Directors and the Forest Department and asked him to convene a meeting of all concerned officials within a week.
The court passed the order on July 8 while hearing a petition seeking directions to demolish certain unauthorized constructions on the bank of river Yamuna near Shaheen Bagh.
The petition also sought directions to the authorities to take measures to prevent illegal constructions on the banks of the Yamuna river and its floodplain in the near future.
"In view of the above, this Court directs the Vice President of the DDA to remove all encroachments and illegal constructions on the bank of the Yamuna River, the river bed and the drains flowing into the Yamuna River," the court, comprising also by Justice Tushar Rao Gedela.
The court asked the DDA vice-chairman to submit a report on the action taken within six weeks.
The petitioner's counsel argued that apart from endangering the ecologically fragile Yamuna floodplain and causing pollution, unregulated construction near the river was endangering people's lives during the monsoon.
The authorities' lawyer admitted that, being an important component of the river ecosystem, the floodplain was a "prohibited activity zone" and any encroachment there caused water diversions that caused flooding in adjacent areas.
The lawyer cited experts to say that the floods in Delhi were man-made as they were mainly caused by the encroachment of drains, banks and river beds that restricted the flow of water into the Yamuna.
The Delhi Police and government counsel said a number of complaints regarding illegal and unauthorized constructions on the bank of river Yamuna had been forwarded to the DDA and MCD for appropriate action.
On April 8, while taking up a case it had initiated on its own over waterlogging in Delhi during monsoon, the high court had ordered removal of encroachment from the Yamuna floodplain and sought a DDA report on the development of biodiversity parks and wetlands there.
