The Delhi High Court has asked the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) to make sure that no commercial or religious activity takes place on the Yamuna floodplains at Sur Ghat in the national capital.
A single-judge Bench of Justice Jasmeet Singh has observed that the ecologically sensitive area cannot be used even for parking purposes.
No activity, including parking of vehicles for commercial purposes, should be permitted on the land situated in Zone-O of the Yamuna floodplains, the court observed, according to IANS.
“It is directed that the respondent No.1/DDA shall ensure that no activity is allowed to take place on the said land, including parking of any vehicle for any kind or for any commercial purpose, even if it may be for the convenience of people coming to pay respect/homage to the river on any auspicious occasion,” the court stated.
Further, the High Court stated that all types of commercial/religious activities for any purpose whatsoever shall remain restricted from the area, keeping in mind environmental protection concerns and the ecological sensitivity of the region.
This comes after a plea was filed by a person named Suresh Kumar seeking restoration of possession of a parking site at Yamuna Sur Ghat in accordance with a Notice Inviting Tender (NIT) that was issued by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) in September 2022.
In the plea, Kumar stated that he was named the highest bidder for operating the parking site and granted possession for a period of three years after depositing security and advance licence fee amounts.
The High Court was told that DDA had handed over about 2,508 square metres of land to the MCD, while the civic body allotted 3,780 square metres to the petitioner.
Later on, the DDA withdrew the permission granted to the MCD, while the allotment of the parking site was cancelled on January 31, 2025.
The High Court has rejected the plea for restoration of the parking site and observed that the plea had not challenged the cancellation order and that disputed questions relating to the validity of the cancellation and compensation could not be adjudicated in writ proceedings.
“The question regarding the correctness and validity of the cancellation and the petitioner’s entitlement to compensation are disputed questions of fact, which certainly cannot be adjudicated in the present writ petition,” Justice Singh said.