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Court summons Municipal Commissioner again

Staff Reporter

Personal presence sought in a case relating to leasing out a portion of Ajmal Khan Park to a private concern

NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court on Tuesday once again summoned in person the Delhi Municipal Commissioner and the Managing Director (MD) of the Delhi Tourism and Transportation Development Corporation (DTTDC) in the matter of leasing out a portion of Ajmal Khan Park here to a private concern for building a banquet hall.

A Division Bench of the Court comprising Justice B.A. Khan and Justice Madan B. Lokur summoned the two when counsel for the Corporation revealed that it had not transferred or handed over any portion of the park to DTTDC which the latter had leased out to Messrs Food Plaza to build a banquet hall inside the public park.

The Bench directed the Commissioner, Rakesh Mehta, and the Managing Director, Ramesh Negi, to be present in the Court on September 29 to set the record straight.

Counsel for the Corporation further submitted that DTTDC had sent a proposal to the local body in the nineties seeking a portion of land in the park on lease for building a services counter and a coffee home, and it was considered by the civic body but the latter never approved the proposal.

When the Bench asked counsel for MCD what was the status of the piece of land in occupation of DTTDC, he replied that it was in illegal possession of DTTDC.

The Bench had this past August stayed the construction of the banquet hall and issued notices to the Union Government, the Delhi Development Authority (DDA), MCD and DTTDC on a public interest litigation by Swami Bhashkaranand, chief trustee of the Gangeshwar Dham temple, seeking restoration of the park to its original status as stated in the Master Plan for Delhi 2001.

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