Nagpur: Activist Sanjay Agrawal's petition against illegal restaurants on the Telangkhedi lake front is scheduled for a hearing on December 18 in the Nagpur bench of Bombay High Court. The urban development ministry, the Nagpur Improvement Trust, Sell Ads and the 14 restaurant owners are the respondents in the case.
Agrawal had filed a public interest litigation in HC against the NIT's inaction against private operator Sell Ads for many violations at Telangkhedi lake front in 2013. Following the PIL, the civic agency had terminated the agreement with operator in August 2014 and directed to raze all the restaurants.
Agrawal told TOI that the restaurants were functioning without any approval. "Even though the NIT scrapped the agreement with the operator after accepting violations, it is not taking any action having the restaurants," he said.
Sell Ads had filed an appeal with the UDD against NIT's decision to terminate the agreement. The UDD had directed the NIT to review its order. The NIT then gave extension of 18 months to Sell Ads on September 14, 2015.
Agrawal filed a petition in the HC challenging the NIT's extension to Sell Ads. The HC directed Agrawal to file an appeal with the UDD. Accordingly, Agrawal filed an appeal with UDD on August 11, 2016. The UDD declined to hear the appeal through it order dated September 28, 2016. Now Agrawal has filed a petition against UDD's order.
"Instead of registering the appeal and giving a decision, the government communicated to the petitioner that the appeal cannot be registered for reasons known to them," reads Agrawal's petition.
The petitioner has appealed for the setting aside of UDD's order and the HC to direct it to hear his appeal and adjudicate.
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WHAT PETITION SAYS
* NIT permits Sell Ads to establish 20 food kiosks
* Sell Ads establishes 38 food joints
* Food Joints also come up on seating and parking areas
* Sell Ads and owners of food joints create third party interest
* Sell Ads fail to maintain lake and its surroundings
* Sell Ads also erects advertisement hoardings without any permission
* NIT gives extension to Sell Ads despite violations
