Court reprimands MCD

Delhi High Court has summoned MCD Commissioner K.S. Mehra to seek an explanation for the delay in submitting the report of a committee headed by him which is reviewing the cycle-rickshaw policy in the city, reports Harish V. Nair.

Delhi High Court has summoned MCD Commissioner K.S. Mehra to seek an explanation for the delay in submitting the report of a committee headed by him which is reviewing the cycle-rickshaw policy in the city.

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A special three-judge bench, headed by Chief Justice A.P. Shah, is reviewing the court’s earlier orders, including the ban on cycle-rickshaws on arterial roads and the draft policy framed by the MCD in 2007.

The court had on May 8 asked the committee to meet and place a report before it on June 30. The MCD has sought repeated adjournments saying the report was not ready.

What angered the court were contradictory submissions by the MCD counsel, which prompted Justice Shah to say: “Don’t play hide and seek with the court.”

On July 9, the MCD had told the court the report will be filed in two weeks. But on October 5, they said the report was not ready as there was no consensus.

The court then asked the MCD to file an affidavit specifying issues on which there was a consensus and those on which there were differences.

But on Tuesday, MCD counsel Madhu Tewatia sought 15 weeks’ time. When she couldn’t submit minutes of the meeting, Justice S. Muralidhar said: “Either your commissioner doesn’t understand our orders or he doesn’t want to obey.” The court has asked Mehra to appear before it on Wednesday with minutes of the meeting.