JOIN USNo house, shop demolished at Jahangirpuri, NDMC tells Supreme Court
A municipal body of Delhi has told the Supreme Court that no house or shop was demolished at all either on April 20 or in any of the previous drives at Jahangirpuri here but in blatant falsehood, the routine exercise was given an unwarranted communal colour.
The top court had earlier ordered status quo of anti encroachment drive by the North Delhi Municipal Corporation at Jahangirpuri which witnessed communal clashes on April 16 following the Hanuman Jayanti procession.
In a written response to a plea by Jamiat Ulama-I-Hind against the move, the North Delhi Municipal Corporation alleged that the petitioner gave an unwarranted communal colour to the exercise for which it needs to be prosecuted so as to maintain the sanctity of averments being made on affidavit before this court. It also accused the petitioner of "wilfully and deliberately suppressing information to sensationalise the issue".
The Corporation asserted that only sacks of garbage, unauthorised projection on public land, and such temporary structures well beyond the boundary of the houses, and shops were removed during the drive. For this, no notice was necessary under the provisions of the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act, it added.
It also pointed out bulldozer is at times required to remove such structures.
During the present as well as earlier drives, the building line, however, has remained intact, it claimed.
The response also claimed following the order of status quo, those who were removed from public roads had come back and occupied the footpaths again.
The corporation also submitted that the drive was stopped at 12 pm on the day after verifying the court's order on status quo.