Delhi High Court issues notice to DDA on plea challenging change in land use of park near AIIMS

The Delhi High Court issued notice to the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) and others on Monday in connection with a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking to quash the proposed amendment to the master plan 2021 for the change in land use of the Park near All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) at West Ansari Nagar Campus-Zone, New Delhi, reports ANI.

A division bench of Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Subramonium Prasad sought a response from the DDA, the Lieutenant Government of Delhi, and the Ministry of Environment and Forest and Climate Change and listed the matter for November 24, 2022.

The petitioner Society for the Protection of Culture, Heritage, Environment, Tradition, and the Promotion of National Awareness stated that a park provides a respite for patients' relatives, residents living nearby, commuters, and visitors who need space to breathe under the shade of the trees. The canopy of trees not only captures dust particles, but also acts as a noise pollution filter, free natural air conditioner, effective smog towers, and maintains ecological balance by preserving biodiversity and serving as a water catchment instrument.

The petitioner's counsel stated that it is astonishing that respondents, who have been entrusted with the overall development of the Delhi state, would conceptualize such a faulty plan for a change of land use and convert the green area, i.e. District Park, to a concrete-hub.

The plea stated that several redevelopment colonies are being built around AIIMS, including Neta Jin agar, Sarojini Nagar, Narouji Nagar, Mohamadpur, and Thayagraj Nagar.

It added that all of the traffic from these colonies would end up on the Ring Road-Mahatma Gandhi Road, which is always congested and clogged at any time of day throughout the year.

The plea further stated that according to recent newspaper reports, 77,000 trees were allowed to be cut down in the last three years, this means that 3 trees were cut every hour in Delhi's capital city, and another 5995 full trees and an unspecified number of small trees would be sacrificed after the District Park was destroyed for the redevelopment of AIIMS.

Furthermore, the plea claimed that, despite being aware of the scarcity of land for green areas, the city continues to allow the development of commercial properties and the changing land use of Recreational City Parks and District Parks that were developed in accordance with previous Master Plans.

"This raises the basic question regarding the proposed construction as approved in the public notice. Without a doubt, societal good would outweigh individual interest, but in the given circumstances, a deed purportedly done for societal good is bound to cause more harm than good," the plea stated.