DDA gets flak for converting water bodies to parks

New Delhi, May 24 (UNI) Expressing anguish over the conversion of 39 water bodies into public parks, the Delhi High Court today directed the Delhi Development Authority(DDA) to restore them to their original status for the conservation of the ecology in the Capital.

A division bench headed by acting Chief Justice Vijender Jain asked the Delhi Government, DDA, MCD, NDMC and other civic bodies to file in affidavit the time they would require to develop these water bodies as lakes, by September 13, the next date of hearing.

The report of the Court-appointed committee stated that out of 611 water bodies in the capital 118 are in the DDA zone and most of them are in a bad stage.

Citing examples, the report said a water body in Vasant Kunj area had been filled up by the Sahara Restaurant by dumping garbage and another in South Delhi converted to a public park.

In a high-level meeting headed by Delhi Chief Secretary, the report was discussed on May 11, 2006.

Out of the 118 water bodies, the DDA refused to recognise 39 places which due to negligence had been filled up and many of them had been converted to public parks or garbage dump yards, said the report.

Citing INTACH report, the committee stated that due to apathetical attitude by the civic authorities all the water bodies were on the verge of collapse.

The High Court had appointed a committee comprising advocates Arbind Shah, Sanjeev Khanna and V K Tandon to visit the water bodies and file a report.

Last year in an affiavit, the MCD had stated that it would make the water bodies functional by June 30, 2006 so that rain water was preserved to recharge the ground water.

The Court was dealing with a PIL filed by a East Delhi resident's welfare association seeking to preserve the Seelampur lake.

The petitioners had sought stopping of all construction activity around the lake area, removal of all building material, garbage and water hyacinth from it, and developing it as a tourist attraction.

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