NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court on Thursday directed the Union Urban Development Ministry and the Central Public Works Department (CPWD) to file a report to it by February 14, 2007, on action taken against illegal additions and alterations at government bungalows in Lutyens' Delhi.

A Division Bench of the Court comprising Justice M. K. Sharma and Justice Rekha Sharma passed the direction when Additional Solicitor-General P. P. Malhotra submitted that the 90 days' time given to occupants of the bungalows where unauthorised additional constructions and alterations were carried out to respond to its notices had ended but some of the violators had sought more time to file replies.

Allowing his plea, the Bench directed the Ministry and the CPWD to file an action-taken report against the violators by February 14, the next date of hearing.

An Additional Secretary in the Ministry along with the Director-General of CPWD had in August this year appeared before the Court in person and informed it that the Ministry had conducted a survey of the bungalows where additional constructions and alterations had been carried out and it would now start demolishing the unauthorised alterations and additional constructions.

But before the demolition, the Minister would write to the violators requesting them to remove illegal alternations and constructions in their bungalows on their own.

If they failed to heed the request, the Ministry would demolish their illegal constructions and alternations, the Additional Secretary submitted.

Allowing the plea of the Ministry, the Bench had directed it not to adopt a pick-and-choose policy in the demolition and first target major violations.

The Court has been hearing the matter suo motu on the basis of media reports about alterations and constructions carried out by certain occupants, including Ministers and Members of Parliament, of these bungalows without prior permission from CPWD and in violations of the guidelines governing the maintenance of these bungalows.

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