MCD blames police for encroachments

The MCD has told the Supreme Court that failure on the part of Delhi Police has enabled vendors to illegally occupy pavements and public places in the Capital, reports Bhadra Sinha.

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has told the Supreme Court that failure on the part of Delhi Police has enabled vendors to illegally occupy pavements and public places in the Capital.

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The corporation moved an application before the apex court accusing the Delhi Police of violating Supreme Court orders directing removal of unauthorised vendors. MCD has also sought relaxation of the terms of allotment of hawking sites.

The civic agency defended its stand and claimed to have taken action for removing the unauthorised vendors, who have encroached upon the footpaths and other public places, “But encroachers have managed to return after action,” read the MCD application.

According to it the re-grouping could be prevented, if only the police as earlier directed by the court assisted the civic body in removing the encroachments.

“But no action is being taken by the concerned officials of Delhi police with a result that the vendors again encroach the very same public land and the action of the MCD is not fruitful,” complained the civic body before a bench of Justices S.B. Sinha and Cyriac Joseph.

The MCD also requested the apex court to modify its order laying down the minimum width of a footpath from where vendors can be allowed to operate.

The corporation submitted that the apex court’s earlier order for allotment of tehbazari (temporary) rights to licensed vendors only on nine foot wide footpaths was not feasible as nearly 70,000 vendors would become ineligible for allotment.

The MCD has requested the court to reduce the ceiling on the width from nine feet to seven feet to accommodate all licensed vendors, estimated to be over a lakh in number.