HC directs DDA to retrieve encroached land from Apollo Hospital

New Delhi, Apr 25 (UNI) The Delhi High Court today directed the government to retrieve the land along the national highway encroached upon by Apollo Hospital in the south Delhi.

A Division bench of Chief Justice M K Sarma and Justice Rekha Sharma directed the Delhi Development Authority(DDA), the land owning agency, and National Highway Authority of India(NHAI) to retrieve the land by demolishing the boundary wall within three weeks.

The court commissioner of south submitted that the Apollo Hospital, a super speciality hospital, set up in collaboration with the Delhi Government had encroached at least 25 feet land along the national highway leading to Faridabad.

The hospital had also raised some illegal constructions in the hospital building and had been using the basement by opening canteens and shops, the report submitted by the court-appointed monitoring committee said.

The Court also directed the Municipal Corporation of Delhi(MCD) to demolish the illegal structures in the farm houses in the Najafgarh area.

The court commissioner submitted that ongoing constructions had been going on in the farm houses in the area taking advantage of the Delhi Special Provisions(Demolitions) Act 2006.

Most of the farm houses had more than 3000 square feet of constructions, in contravention to the permitted 1500 square feet structures in every farms.

Even the MCD was levying tax on the property by giving the completion certificate, alleged the court commissioner.

The court asked the municipal authorities to institute a probe and submit a report within four weeks.

UNI