The Hindu : New Delhi News : Stay on construction of banquet hall

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Aug 12, 2005

New Delhi

New Delhi

Stay on construction of banquet hall

Staff Reporter

PIL seeks to stop use of Ajmal Khan Park for commercial purposes

NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court has stayed the ongoing construction of a banquet hall by Messrs Food Plaza in Ajmal Khan Park at Karol Bagh here.

A Division Bench of the court comprising Justice B.A. Khan and Justice Madan B. Lokur also issued notices to the Union Government, the Delhi Development Authority (DDA), the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) and the Delhi Tourism and Transport Development Corporation (DTTDC) asking them to file replies to a public interest litigation (PIL) by Swami Bhashkaranand, chief trustee of the Gangeshwar Dham temple near the park, in the matter, seeking restoration of the park to its original status as stated in the Master Plan for Delhi 2001. The Bench also impleaded Messrs Food Plaza as a party in the matter and asked it to file a reply to the petition.

Appearing for the petitioner, Prabhjit Jauhar submitted that in the Master Plan, the park had been shown as a district park where no commercial activities would be permitted. In violation of the Master Plan, MCD had entered into an agreement with DTTDC to run a coffee home. Thereafter, DTTDC struck a deal with Messrs Food Plaza to run the coffee home, the petitioner said.

However, Clause II of the agreement between DTTDC and Messrs Food Plaza said that the latter could serve also serve liquor and organise parties and get-togethers. Following the agreement, Messrs Food Plaza had started building a banquet hall by felling trees and demolishing old structures in the park, the petition stated.

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