The Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered maintainenance of status quo on halt to construction activities in the green belt of Lucknow city by Lucknow Development Authority which was restrained by the Allahabad High Court to carry out any futher work in the area.
"Let there be a status quo on the premises relating to which the directions has been passed by the High Court," a bench headed by Justice Altamas Kabir said.
It sought a response from Gomti Nagar Jan Kalyan Maha Samiti, on whose PIL the High Court had passed the order, and posted the matter for hearing on July 14.
The High Court had on April 6 passed the order on a plea of the Samiti that environmental balance would be adversely affected if LDA was permitted to increase the total area of the Master Plan 2021.
Attorney General GE Vahanvati, appearing for LDA, contended the High Court had committed a mistake in restraining it from carrying out construction work including fencing of the green area.
"The grievance raised by the writ petitioners (in HC) have been redressed in as much as the land use of the area in question has been changed to parks, open space by a statutory notification issued by the state government," he said.
He also said the High Court wrongly granted the final relief to the society at interim stage.
"The grievance raised by the writ petitioners (in HC) have been redressed in as much as the land use of the area in question has been changed to parks, open space by a statutory notification issued by the state government," he said.
He also said the High Court wrongly granted the final relief to the society at interim stage.
"Passing of such an interim order 5 years after approval of the Master Plan 2021 amounts to reviewing the finding of the High Court in earlier proceedings with respect to the matter in issue," he said.