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Zoo, trade body fight over land in heart of Capital
Encroachment on prime land has always been a matter of concern for authorities in Delhi but this time it comes with a slight twist.
Encroachment on prime land has always been a matter of concern for authorities in Delhi but this time it comes with a slight twist.
As many as 17 acres of land in the Capital has become a bone of contention between two government agencies with both calling the other an encroacher. Located behind Purana Qila, the piece of land in question is ensconced between the National Zoological Park, the railway line moving towards Nizamuddin Railway Station and Bhairon temple on Bhairon Marg.
Delhi zoo authorities claim that the land was originally allotted to the zoo and was given temporarily to the India Trade
Promotion Organisation (ITPO) for a year in the early 1970s to accommodate parking during the annual trade fair. “Even after the fair was over, they continued to occupy the plot and come up with parking every year. Now, we are all set to re-claim our land,” zoo officials said.
The ITPO, in turn, claimed exactly the opposite. “This land was allotted to us in 1972. Our activities are expanding and we need more space. In fact, the parking lot is much needed. It is the Delhi zoo which has encroached on our land,” said ITPO Senior General Manager Safdar Khan.
The zoo authority also found other encroachments while finalising its master plan to be submitted to the Central Zoo Authority (CZA).
