HC wants to know what panel on Sainik Farms doing

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Monday asked the Centre as to what does the committee, which was set up to examine the feasibility of regularising unauthorised construction in Sainik Farms, plan to do about illegal buildings in the lavish South Delhi colony.

"What does the committee plan to do with Sainik Farms," a bench of Chief Justice Rajendra Menon and Justice V K Rao sought to know from the Ministry for Urban Development (MoUD).

The court asked the ministry, represented by central government's standing counsel, Anurag Ahluwalia, to inform the bench on the next date regarding the deliberations of the committee, set up in May last year, on regularisation of the colony.

The court also issued notice to the ministry, the Delhi government and the local authorities seeking their stand on an application moved on behalf of some residents of the area seeking permission to paint their houses.

The permission was sought by some as the court earlier prohibited any kind of building activity there and has also barred entry of construction material into the colony.

The bench declined to pass any interim orders and listed the matter for further hearing on January 20. The application seeking permission was moved in a petition which has sought regularisation of the unauthorised constructions in Sainik Farms.

During the brief hearing, Ahluwalia told the court that an NGO had filed a PIL seeking demolition of the illegal constructions there and the matter was disposed of by the high court by asking the petitioner to approach the Supreme Court appointed committee which is looking into unauthorised building activity.

He sought that the petition seeking regularisation of the colony be also sent before the apex-court appointed panel. The bench, however, disagreed that the MoUD's panel was focused on regularisation and therefore, has nothing to do with the apex court's committee.