NEW DELHI: The Aam Aadmi Party government on Friday informed the Delhi High Court that the DDA is not handing over sites for setting up ‘mohalla clinics’. A bench of Chief Justice Rajendra Menon and Justice V K Rao was also told by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government that other local agencies, including the DMRC and the DJB, were also creating hurdles in setting up the clinics on their land.

The court issued notices to the Delhi Development Authority, the Delhi Metro, the Delhi Jal Board and other local agencies seeking their responses to the Delhi government’s application by March 29, the next date of hearing. In its application, the Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP government said 333 No Objection Certificate (NOC) sites were handed over to the Public Works Department to construct the clinics within three months. 

However, the DDA has refused to grant permission saying “no specific land can be earmarked in the layout plan for those areas as norms for the same are not given in the Master Plan of Delhi (MPD) 2021”. The application was submitted by the Delhi government in an ongoing PIL by NGO ‘Justice for All’ seeking setting up of ‘mohalla clinics’ across the city to provide adequate health care facilities to the citizens. 

The DDA informed the Delhi government that no land can be allotted for ‘mohalla clinics’ without amendment in the Master Plan, the government’s application said. But, the city government contended that the sites under DDA control were required for constructing temporary structures only and therefore, there was no need to amend the Master Plan. While the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation was not granting NOC to set up clinics at all the 86 sites under it which were identified for the purpose, the Jal Board was not cooperating with the site inspections that are to be undertaken before finalising the land under it. 

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