Facing sealing, owners escape with machines

The Delhi High Court, which has ordered closure of around 2,000 polluting units on the Delhi-Haryana border was left puzzled on Thursday, reports Harish Nair.

The Delhi High Court, which has ordered closure of around 2,000 polluting units on the Delhi-Haryana border was left puzzled on Thursday.

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A Bench of acting Chief Justice Madan B Lokur and Justice Mukta Gupta was surprised to hear from Delhi Government standing counsel Najmi Waziri that when they visited 210 units in Nangloi to begin with, they found 175 “vacant”. He said 35 other industries have been sealed. Waziri told the court that they got information that the owners and staff had vanished with the machines a day before the sealing party had arrived. All the units have, however, been sealed. Smelling a rat, Justice Gupta asked Waziri: “How can they vanish with such heavy machines so suddenly? Why didn’t you take any preventive measures once you set in motion the sealing process on the court orders?” The court’s orders came on a PIL filed by one Mahavir Singh, alleging that illegal industries were functional in villages in Nangloi, Ghewara, Neelwal and Mundka, among others.