The Delhi high court has stayed construction of residential flats being carried out by two defence organisations in the city’s ecologically sensitive ridge area, taking note that environmental clearance was not acquired before starting the construction.
A division bench of Acting Chief Justice A.K. Sikri and Justice Rajiv Sahai Endlaw also made it clear that “no future construction should take place in the ridge area”.
The court passed the order after the Delhi government informed it that no clearance was taken by the DRDO and the BRO to carry out construction activities at the ridge which were threatening the area’s ecology.
The bench pulled up both agencies for not only bypassing the objections raised by the forest department but also violating the Supreme Court guidelines on protecting the ridge. “We are appalled to find that the defence organisations not only overlooked the government’s objections but also began the construction work in violation of the guidelines of the Supreme Court,” the court said.