After the Delhi High Court (HC) on Tuesday heard the PIL seeking direction to stop or suspend all construction activity of the Central Vista project, the construction arms of the Central Public Works Department has now installed boards citing prohibition of photography or video recording. People’s entry has also been restricted now at the construction site of Central Vista, which includes most of the Rajpath stretch. The boards installed on the site also include the construction firm Shapoorji Pallonji Group’s name. As per reports, apart from the ongoing politics around the project, the proposed chopping down of 20+ Jamun trees that are more than 100 years old is one of the things that people had opposed quite strongly on social media.
Centre: ‘Petition against Central Vista not filed with clean hands’
The Delhi High Court (HC) on Tuesday heard the petition seeking direction to stop or suspend all construction activity of the Central Vista project. During the hearing the Centre said that the petition has not been filed with clean hands and hence, it’s not a bonafide petition. Stating that the petitioner has suppressed many facts in the plea, the Centre said that the Central Vista is not the only construction project which is continuing amidst the lockdown.
Centre said, “Several other agencies like the CPWD, NBCC, DMRC, PWD, IICC and DDA are also engaged in and carrying out construction activities in various places across the State of NCT of Delhi strictly in compliance with the notification of lockdown.”
Centre details COVID measures for Central Vista workers
The Centre on Tuesday filed an affidavit in the Delhi High Court in connection with the plea seeking a stay on the Central Vista Project, detailing the arrangements that it had made for the construction and on-site stay of the workers keeping in mind the COVID-19 protocols.
In its 32-page affidavit, the Centre revealed that 400 workers were engaged at the site of the project well before the imposition of curfew on April 19 and were staying on-site. While the arrangements for the stay of the workers was being made at the site, necessary permissions were sought for transportation of materials and labour including permission for the movement of supervisory staff.
The Centre also placed that a ‘COVID compliant facility’ had been installed at the site to accommodate 250 workers who willingly wanted to continue working on the project. The facility provides for strict implementation of COVID-19 protocol strictly and also adherence to COVID appropriate behaviour, such as sanitization, thermal screening, social distancing, according to the affidavit.
Moreover, Health Insurance of all workers against COVID-19 and a separate facility for RT-PCR testing, isolation, medical aid was also being provided at the site by contractors. Alleging that the PIL was motivated, SG Tushar Mehta also argued that facts had been suppressed by the petitioner who had come with ‘unclean hands.’ Questioning why the Central Vista Project was being targeted when other construction work was being allowed in Delhi, the Centre alleged that the petitioner was ‘selectively targeting’ Central Vista.
Notably, the Delhi HC has refused to grant interim relief to the plea seeking a halt on construction amid the second wave of COVID-19. The plea had sought the aforesaid direction in the wake of the curbs issued by the Delhi Disaster Management Authority and had requested directions to protect the lives of workers and those involved in the project. Declining to issue notice, the HC bench adjourned the matter and will hear it again on Thursday.
(Image: PTI, Unplash-Representative Image)
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