Delhi HC takes suo motu cognisance of illegal construction on Sriniwaspuri drain

Delhi HC takes suo motu cognisance of illegal construction on Sriniwaspuri drain

New Delhi, The Delhi High Court has taken suo motu cognisance of the issues of waterlogging and "rampant illegal construction" on the Sriniwaspuri drain here.

Delhi HC takes suo motu cognisance of illegal construction on Sriniwaspuri drain

A bench of Justices Prathiba M Singh and Manmeet P S Arora registered a fresh writ petition titled 'Re: Suo Motu Sriniwaspuri Drain' after the residents, who raised the issue of cleaning and maintenance of the drain, withdrew their appeal due to "continuous threats they are facing" from certain other residents.

"In view of the application of the appellants, the present appeal is dismissed as withdrawn. However, owing to the large-scale impact of the drain on the general water logging in the area, as also the rampant illegal construction upon and around the drain, this is a fit case for the Court to not ignore the facts that have come to light in the various reports, including the recent inspection report of the IDMC ," the court said in the order passed on November 5.

"Accordingly, the Court takes suo motu cognisance of the situation relating to the Sriniwas Puri drain," it said.

The court appointed advocate Sashwat Sarin as an amicus curiae in the case and listed it for hearing on December 17.

Residents of the area near the Sriniwaspuri drain, Lokesh Kumar and others, had filed a petition before a single-judge of the high court in 2021, seeking several reliefs with respect to the proper maintenance, removal of the silt and repair of the drain.

The residents eventually filed an appeal before the division bench, which passed several orders from time to time, including an inspection under the aegis of the IDMC.

In its October 30 order, the court observed that as per the IDMC's report, a substantial portion of the drain had been heavily covered with construction and ordered a meeting of the IDMC with all agencies concerned, including the DDA, MCD and DJB, on how to open and clean the drain to ensure that it is free-flowing.

The drain is almost 10 feet wide at the entry point in Sriniwaspuri, but as it progresses towards the Okhla Sabzi Mandi, there is construction over the drain as well as along the drain, making it "totally encroached", its order noted.

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