Court orders MCD stadium demolition

Delhi High Court has ordered the demolition of an open-air stadium, built illegally in Ajmal Khan Park of Karol Bagh.

Delhi High Court has ordered the demolition of an open-air stadium, built illegally in Ajmal Khan Park of Karol Bagh.

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The high court, while delivering the order on Wednesday, ruled that there couldn’t be illegal constructions in any public park.

The court also restrained the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) from building a full-fledged indoor stadium. The proposed ‘world-class’ stadium, planned at a cost of Rs 6 crore (Rs 60 million), was to seat 3,000 people.

A division bench of Chief Justice A.P. Shah and Justice S. Muralidhar ordered the MCD to remove all constructions in the park and restore it to its original state.

The court had on October 28 reserved its order and said: “We cannot allow any activity in the park until and unless a proper sanction plan is submitted to us.”

Refuting the MCD’s contention that Delhi’s lieutenant-governor (L-G) had approved the plan for construction, the court said: “L-G is not an architect nor an engineer. You are answerable to the public at large. How can you use an ornamental park (Ajmal Khan park) for constructing a stadium when the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) has clearly stated that no construction is permissible?”

The MCD had earlier contended that no other sports facility was available to children there.

The court was acting on a petition by Paryavaran Evam Jan Utthan, an NGO, which challenged the construction, saying it wasn’t environment-friendly.