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Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Delhi HC rejects plea to halt razing of Pak Hindu refugee camp
Pakistani Hindu refugees cannot be entitled to seek alternate accommodation as a matter of legal right on account of their foreign nationality, the Delhi high court has held Dismissing a petition by the refugees seeking to restrain the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) from demolishing a refugee camp at Majnu Ka Tilla, until their resettlement on an alternative land, a bench of justice Dharmesh Sharma said that the petitioners cannot rely on May 2013 direction of the Centre to seek alternate accommodation as a matter of legal right. The court was hearing a plea filed by an activist Ravi Ranjan Singh against the proposed demolition of a refugee camp by DDA. Taking up the cause of approximately 800 Hindu refugees from Pakistan, Singh urged the court to restrain DDA from demolishing the camp, until they were allowed an alternate land to reside in view of government's policy to give shelter to non-Muslim minorities from countries such as Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh as per the Citizenship Amendment Act. He further asserted that the primary responsibility to accommodate the said refugees rests on the Centre's shoulders, as the plea relied on the Centre's May 2013 statement on extending support to the Hindu community which came to India from Pakistan. 'This Court has no hesitation in holding that the petitioner herein is not entitled to the reliefs sought by way of the present petition. First and foremost, the order dated 29.05.2013 passed in Nahar Singh case does not contain any direction to suggest that an alternate accommodation was promised to the said group of refugees by the Government of India, or that they were entitled to such allotment, thus, the petitioner herein cannot seek alternate accommodation as a matter of legal right,' the court opined. Additionally, the order stated that even under the Delhi Slum & JJ Rehabilitation and Relocation Policy, 2015, any person sought to be relocated and rehabilitated must first and foremost be a citizen of India to become eligible for the allotment of alternate dwelling units. 'In view of the aforesaid, the position that emerges is that the Pakistani refugees cannot be rehabilitated under the DUSIB Policy on account of their foreign nationality status. The petitioner and other similarly placed refugees have no right to continue to occupy the area in question,' the order said. DDA in March last year asked the residents to vacate the camp, failing which it will be demolished by the authority concerned. On March 12, the high court by way of an interim order restrained DDA from demolishing the camps. DDA, represented by advocate Prabhsahay Kaur, submitted that the National Green Tribunal on January 29 this year directed removal of all the encroachment on the Yamuna Flood Plain Zone adjacent to South of Gurdwara Majnu ka Tila on Yamuna River Belt. A cost was also imposed on DDA, and thus the civic authority was bound to follow the judicial orders, the advocate said. Taking note of the fact that the land fell under the Yamuna floodplains, justice Sharma said, 'It is undeniable that even Indian citizens cannot claim alternate allotment as an absolute right, particularly in cases where the land they occupy falls under specially prohibited areas like Zone 'O' of Delhi, i.e., the Yamuna floodplains. Given the critical condition of the Yamuna River, this court unhesitatingly finds that no interference with the ongoing restoration and rejuvenation efforts of the river can be countenanced at the petitioner's instance.' While dismissing the plea, the court also vacated its interim order and impressed upon the refugees to acquire Indian citizenship, which would enable them to enjoy rights and benefits available to any ordinary Indian citizen. 'Needless to state, the effect of the acceptance of... (citizenship) application would be that the aggrieved refugees shall be deemed citizens of India and would be able to enjoy all rights and benefits available to any ordinary citizen of India,' the court said.
India Gazette
6 hours ago
- Politics
- India Gazette
Delhi HC rejects plea to halt demolition of Pakistani-Hindu refugee camp
New Delhi [India], May 31 (ANI): The Delhi High Court has rejected a petition seeking to restrain the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) from demolishing the Pakistani-Hindu refugee camp at Majnu Ka Tila until alternative land is allocated to its residents. The court acknowledged its sincere attempts to engage with relevant authorities to facilitate the rehabilitation and relocation of the refugees. However, these efforts remained unproductive, largely due to bureaucratic delays, particularly on the part of the Union of India. Despite the humanitarian concerns, the court clarified that framing policy for refugee relief is beyond its jurisdiction. In a judgment delivered on Friday, Justice Dharmesh Sharma ruled that the interim order issued on March 12, 2024, stands vacated. The court further stated that the petitioner, Ravi Ranjan Singh, along with other similarly placed refugees, 'have no right to continue to occupy the area in question,' thereby dismissing their plea to halt the eviction. The bench emphasised the necessity of safeguarding the ecologically sensitive Yamuna floodplains. It noted that environmental protection measures align with directives from the Supreme Court, the National Green Tribunal (NGT), and the Delhi High Court itself. These actions aim to preserve ecological integrity and uphold the fundamental right to a clean and healthy environment for both current and future generations. Given the fragile state of the Yamuna River, the court asserted that any interference with its restoration efforts cannot be justified. It ruled that humanitarian considerations cannot override environmental imperatives, as such exemptions would delay critical public projects. The petition, filed by Singh, highlighted the plight of nearly 800 Hindu refugees from Pakistan. It urged the court to direct the DDA to refrain from demolition until alternative land was allocated in accordance with the government's policy under the Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019. The plea also called for embankments along the Yamuna to protect such settlements and religious structures, citing precedents like the Akshardham Temple and the Commonwealth Games Village. (ANI)
Time of India
7 hours ago
- Sport
- Time of India
DDA's first international-level ice skating rink in Dwarka likely to open by October 2025
The Delhi Development Authority 's (DDA) first international-level ice skating rink is likely to be ready by October this year at its sports complex in Dwarka Sector 23, officials said on Saturday. The DDA is developing a sports complex spread across 17 acres with multiple facilities, including a football ground, hockey ground, and the ice skating rink. It has issued a tender seeking professional sports agencies to operate and maintain the facility. "In Dwarka Sector 23, the ice skating rink is being specially designed, and the work is likely to be completed soon. We have issued a tender for professionals to operate this and other facilities," a DDA official said. The authority is also working on two other sports complexes in Dwarka -- in Sector 8 spread across 23 acres and in Sector 19 which covers 19 acres. "The vision is to focus on inclusivity, excellence, sustainability, and long-term development of sports. The DDA aims to establish specialised Centres of Excellence (CoE) for different sports at selected facilities, providing high-performance training environments for athletes," the official said. Live Events According to the plan, the Sector 8 complex will host a CoE for wrestling , boxing , judo, and karate, while Sector 19 will focus on tennis and shooting. The Sector 23 complex will have facilities for hockey and football. The company will be responsible for developing hostel facilities at the Sector 8 complex as per prevailing FAR norms and procuring necessary sports and non-sports equipment. The DDA has already procured part of the equipment, and the remaining will be provided by the concessionaire, the tender reads. In its budget announced in April, the DDA allocated Rs 250 crore for the construction of new sports complexes -- one each in Dwarka, Rohini, and at the Golf Course in Dwarka. The CoE at Dwarka Sector 8 was inaugurated by Lt Governor VK Saxena on May 8. The deadline for Sector 19 is July and for Sector 23, October 2025. "To ensure that sports enthusiasts can fully benefit from these facilities and to encourage budding talent capable of competing at the highest levels, professional coaching will also be provided for boxing, wrestling, weightlifting, and taekwondo ," Saxena said at the inauguration. Currently, the DDA manages 17 sports complexes and three golf courses in the national capital, with more such facilities being developed. PTI
Time of India
11 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Centre set to push amendments to DDA, to give fillip to land pooling policy
The Centre is all set to push amendments to the Delhi Development Act, 1957, to give a fillip to the Land Pooling Policy and involve private developers in vertical development in 129 sectors spread across 104 urbanised villages of the capital. With the BJP government taking charge of Delhi, the Centre has decided to bring focus back to the long-pending Land Pooling Policy which, though notified in 2013 and 2018, has not been operationalised. The Centre is planning to push amendments to the Delhi Development Act which will make land pooling mandatory for all residents if a certain percentage -- 70% -- of owners of land in an area agree to pool land. The amendments also give power to the Centre to declare mandatory land pooling and mandatory urban regeneration even if a minimum threshold participation of 70% has not been achieved. The amendments were first proposed in 2022 and were put out for public consultation. However, they have been pending with the ministry of housing and urban affairs. According to sources, the amendments are likely to be pushed once again to operationalise the policy and build residential high-rises and housing for economically weaker sections in these areas. The LPP envisages high-rise residential buildings in so-far underdeveloped and chaotic areas of Outer Delhi like Narela, Bawana and Najafgarh. Earlier, DDA used to acquire land, build flats, provide community infrastructure like parks and then float housing schemes to dispose of these flats. However, this DDA-led colony development has become outdated and being challenged due to complicated land acquisition processes. In 2018, DDA came up with a LPP which gave the opportunity to the landowners of a notified sector to organise themselves into a "consortium", pool their land and keep 60% for development of residential high rises and other facilities and hand over 40% to DDA for community infrastructure like roads and sewer networks. As per the policy, 70% of the landowners of contiguous land in a sector have to give consent for their land to be pooled. The response to the scheme has been tepid as not a single sector has been developed. The biggest challenge in implementation remains the consent of landowners. This is why the Centre is now keen on bringing the amendments to make it mandatory for landowners to participate in the scheme. The Centre is also likely to increase the floor area ratio allowed from 200 to 400. This will make it more lucrative for private builders to come and participate in vertical development of the city. The policy is included in Master Plan for Delhi 2041 , which has not been notified pending approval of the Centre.
Time of India
a day ago
- Business
- Time of India
Centre set to push amendments to DDA, to give fillip to land pooling policy
The Centre is all set to push amendments to the Delhi Development Act, 1957, to give a fillip to the Land Pooling Policy and involve private developers in vertical development in 129 sectors spread across 104 urbanised villages of the capital. With the BJP government taking charge of Delhi, the Centre has decided to bring focus back to the long-pending Land Pooling Policy which, though notified in 2013 and 2018, has not been operationalised. The Centre is planning to push amendments to the Delhi Development Act which will make land pooling mandatory for all residents if a certain percentage -- 70% -- of owners of land in an area agree to pool land. The amendments also give power to the Centre to declare mandatory land pooling and mandatory urban regeneration even if a minimum threshold participation of 70% has not been achieved. The amendments were first proposed in 2022 and were put out for public consultation. However, they have been pending with the ministry of housing and urban affairs. According to sources, the amendments are likely to be pushed once again to operationalise the policy and build residential high-rises and housing for economically weaker sections in these areas. Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Giao dịch vàng CFDs với sàn môi giới tin cậy IC Markets Tìm hiểu thêm by Taboola by Taboola The LPP envisages high-rise residential buildings in so-far underdeveloped and chaotic areas of Outer Delhi like Narela, Bawana and Najafgarh. Earlier, DDA used to acquire land, build flats, provide community infrastructure like parks and then float housing schemes to dispose of these flats. However, this DDA-led colony development has become outdated and being challenged due to complicated land acquisition processes. In 2018, DDA came up with a LPP which gave the opportunity to the landowners of a notified sector to organise themselves into a "consortium", pool their land and keep 60% for development of residential high rises and other facilities and hand over 40% to DDA for community infrastructure like roads and sewer networks. As per the policy, 70% of the landowners of contiguous land in a sector have to give consent for their land to be pooled. Live Events The response to the scheme has been tepid as not a single sector has been developed. The biggest challenge in implementation remains the consent of landowners. This is why the Centre is now keen on bringing the amendments to make it mandatory for landowners to participate in the scheme. The Centre is also likely to increase the floor area ratio allowed from 200 to 400. This will make it more lucrative for private builders to come and participate in vertical development of the city. The policy is included in Master Plan for Delhi 2041 , which has not been notified pending approval of the Centre.
