The bench was hearing a petition which raised the issue of unregulated, improper parking and encroachments in the name of religious structures (Express photo: Ravi Kanojia/File)
Concerned over how multiple row parking and squatting has led to chaotic traffic on the capital’s roads, the Delhi High Court has asked Delhi Police to ensure that such “unauthorised occupants on roads and footpaths/pavements in the capital is stopped altogether”.
A bench of Justice S Ravindra Bhat and Justice A K Chawla directed that the station house officers of Green Park, Karol Bagh and Vikas Marg police stations be made responsible for their failure to clean the roads.
“This court is of the opinion that for ensuring proper utilisation of roads and footpaths/ pavements, the committees, especially Delhi Police, would ensure that multi-lane parking and squatting by unauthorised occupants is stopped altogether,” the bench said. “Likewise, in case of footpaths/pavements, squatting or unauthorised occupants should be limited to bare minimum and the dominant use of pavements for use of pedestrians should be ensured,” it added.
The bench was hearing a petition filed by NGO Pardarshita Welfare Foundation, which has raised the issue of unregulated, improper parking and encroachments in the name of religious structures causing traffic snarls in central Delhi and Southern Ridge.
The court in March issued direction to set up an effective coordination committee of the agencies, to ensure that such multi-lane parking is not resorted to. It had directed the agencies to ensure that public pavements are restored.
Following the court’s direction, encroachment removal drives were conducted and several challans were issued to traffic offenders. The HC, however, expressed displeasure and observed that “at the moment, most pavements appear to be completely encroached”.