Bulldozers will run on 143 houses in Shalimar Bagh, Delhi High Court’s ultimatum to vacate the houses by May 30

A bench of Justice Pratibha M Singh and Justice Madhu Jain heard all the parties, local residents and government departments in detail during the hearing. The court found that the landlord failed to produce valid documents in support of his construction. At the same time, other departments including Delhi Development Authority proved in the court that all these houses were built illegally on government land. The court also said that these buildings have been erected illegally up to five to six floors and occupy about 24 meters of land. In its order, the court also expressed concern over the poor condition of the area. According to the court, the road has become so narrow that even vehicles of essential services like ambulance, fire brigade and school bus are not able to pass easily, due to which jam situation often persists. The court clarified that to improve the situation and comply with Delhi Master Plan-2021, it is mandatory to widen this road by 30 meters. In view of this, instructions have been given to remove illegal constructions.

The bench said in its order that this illegal construction has been done on Max Road, Road No. 320 of Shalimar Bagh village (Hyderpur village). This route connects to the Ring Road (Mukarba Chowk) and is very important from the traffic point of view. The court said that in the survey conducted by the District Officer of the concerned area, 143 houses have been identified in the 670 meter long stretch, in which 157 families live. A total of about 750 people live in these houses. During the hearing, it also emerged that the landlords failed to produce valid documents, while other departments including the Delhi Development Authority proved that the constructions were done illegally on government land. Many buildings have five to six floors and occupy about 24 meters of land.