RWA had moved court, alleging authorities did not follow Master Plan rules

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Tuesday stayed a proposal by the AAP government to open more streets in the Capital for commercial use.

The court also restrained the authorities from changing the land use on the listed roads without its prior approval.

A day before resigning over the Jan Lokpal bill, the Arvind Kejriwal-led government had forwarded a proposal to Lieutenant-Governor Najeeb Jung to change the land use on 351 residential streets to commercial or mixed land use.

The proposal was based on a list of streets prepared by the municipal corporation in 2008 after a survey.

While the proposal was awaiting the L-G’s nod for notification, a local residents’ association, ‘friends of Rajouri Garden environment’, moved the HC seeking stay on further notification to convert the selected residential streets into commercial ones.

Justice Manmohan issued notices to Delhi government, L-G and the city’s civic bodies and sought their response by July 17.

The HC also took note of the May 2007 order of the Supreme Court in which the apex court had restrained the authorities from issuing notification relating to the roads for commercial use without undertaking a proper survey.

Advocate Rohan Thawani, appearing for the residents’ association, alleged that the civic bodies had made the list of roads without a proper survey. Thawani said neither the RWAs were consulted nor the traffic circulation survey and parking planning on all these roads were considered, as required by Master Plan norms.

T he association said it moved the high court in light of the L-G’s decision to honour and follow decisions taken by the 49-day AAP government.

SOURCE:http://paper.hindustantimes.com/