Pre-judged PIL on Delhi's Master Plan

NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court today refused to entertain a PIL which sought stay on the Government's move to notify the Master Plan for Delhi 2021, saying the same is yet to see the light of the day.

A divison bench of Chief Justice MK Sharma and Justice Sanjeev Khanna said, ''We cannot pass any order on the Master Plan. It would amount to pre-judging an issue which is yet to be notified.''

The petition, filed by Anil Agrawal for the Society for Safe Structures, alleged that the Centre had no authority to formulate and notify a master plan for regulating the capital's development.

''Let the Master Plan come into existence, then we will hear illegalities, if any, involved in it,'' observed the bench.

The master plan for Delhi was approved by the Indian Government on Tuesday, but yet to be notified in the official gazette.

The very existence of the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) has become anfractuous in the wake of the 74th constitutional amendment, which empowered panchayats and local municipalities to frame building bye-laws and development plans.

Since 1959, it is not MCD and NDMC (local municipal bodies) but the DDA which had been approving and sanctioning building plans and granting permission for erection of buildings in developed areas contrary to the constitutional amendment.