The South Delhi Municipal Corporation has abandoned its plan of constructing a multilevel parking in a children’s park around the historical monument ‘Gumti of Shaikh Ali’ behind Defence Colony market here and will now relocate the project to another spot.
The corporation’s decision was conveyed to the Delhi High Court during the hearing of a petition by local resident Rajeev Suri challenging the construction of the automated multilevel car parking on the children’s park abutting the monument.
‘No-objection’
It submitted that the multilevel parking will now be relocated to an existing surface parking in front of ‘Moets’ restaurant in Defence Colony market. The SDMC said a ‘no-objection’ has been obtained from the Defence Colony Market Welfare Association.
It additionally said the site at which the proposed multilevel parking is now planned neither covers any green area nor does it affect the historical monument.
Advocate Shikhil Suri, appearing for Mr. Rajeev Suri, however, argued that a mere ‘No-Objection’ obtained from the Market Welfare Association would not suffice and the SDMC must also take other permissions under the law, including permissions from the Land and Development Office, the DDA, the Delhi Traffic Police and also conduct an Environmental Impact Assessment before constructing the multilevel parking.
Justice Anup Jairam Bhambhani agreed with advocate Mr. Shikhil Suri’s submission and said that the SDMC “would of course need to obtain all permissions and comply with all requirements of the law before it constructs the parking facility at the site”.
‘Right to play’
Mr. Shikhil Suri also pointed out that a public interest litigation (PIL) relating to 18,000 children’s parks in Delhi in the context of the ‘right to play’ is pending before a Division Bench of the High Court.
Since the PIL also involves the question of the children’s park in Defence Colony, the High Court clarified that the SMDC must first take permission of the Division Bench before it goes ahead with construction of the multilevel parking.