<div class="section1"><div class="Normal">NEW DELHI: Ever wondered why people end up fighting court battles to get a colony road repaired or to prevent a builder from taking over a plot and constructing an apartment block? Ideally, reporting the matter to local authorities should suffice. But given the short shrift that he recieves, the common man turns to the courts.
But even a court directive may not spur the municipal body into action.<br /><br />Whether it''s the issue of illegal squatters blocking the right of way of pedestrians or misuse of residential colonies, the judiciary has repeatedly issued instructions and reiterated orders regarding remedial measures. The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), however, refuses to mend its lackadaisical ways. When the judges get tough, some cosmetic "penal action" is taken to assuage the court''s wrath.<br /><br /><span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">Illegal structures</span><br /><br />Passing through the lanes and bylanes of localities such as South Extension I and II, Greater Kailash, and Rajouri Garden, the impression that is generated is that these are commercial areas. But they happen to be designated residential colonies where commercial buildings have cropped up illegally. With MCD officials and police ignoring complaints, local residents'' welfare associations (RWAs) have had to approach the court. RWAs of colonies like Greater Kailash, Green Park, Vasant Vihar, Defence Colony and Rajouri Garden have all gone to court with complaints of civic negligence. Last year, the court took up one such case and ordered the MCD to ensure that no commercial structures are allowed to operate in residential colonies. The brief was also to prevent further commercial growth in these areas.<br /><br />Rapped by the court, the MCD sent its bulldozers into hitherto ‘sacred'' zones of south and central Delhi. But a few months on, the worst-affected areas like Chandni Chowk and Karol Bagh remain unchanged. "A recent CBI raid on Karol Bagh zone civic officials exposed the fact that many major defaulters were allowed to get away scot-free despite complaints. Every time such a drive takes place, money changes hands. Buildings are sealed and demolished on paper," said an MCD insider.<br /><br />Interestingly, even as the MCD has initiated action in some cases, more commercial structures have sprung up in these very areas. MCD commissioner Rakesh Mehta attributes this to some individuals obtaining stay orders from the court. "Demolition is seen as wasteful expenditure. Also, there is no deterrence because the demand for such facilities is immense. It''s a planning flaw, and merely demolishing illegal structures does not enable us to identify the cause of such action," added Mehta.<br /><br />Others, feel that it is a collective lack of will to act on the part of both officials and politicians. "I raised the issue of illegal commercialisation in the MCD House many times on behalf of my RWA, and also wrote to the L-G. But nothing has happened. Illegal commercial structures that were sealed in the previous drive have all been reopened," said Gulmohar Park councillor Arti Mehra.<br /><br /><span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">Parking travails</span><br /><br />The impact of MCD''s inaction can be felt in other spheres, too. A parking policy for Delhi may be on the anvil finally, but the move was initiated only after the Supreme Court decreed that no new commercial project could be cleared till a comprehensive parking plan was chalked out. The MCD controls the lion''s share of parking lots in the city, whereas the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) operates facilities in its areas. The MCD runs 70 parking lots in the city and has promised the court to start another 70. The civic agency submitted a list of parking utilities in the making, but the court was not impressed. So far, the MCD has been able to add only 22 new parking lots. Significantly, many parking operators function illegally right under the nose of the authorities.<br /><br />To be sure, the MCD has made some efforts to rein in unruly parking contractors and get them to provide better facilities to users. But in a city where parking means leaving your car at the mercy of unidentified parking attendants, expecting the latter to arrange for computerised entry and exit points as well as insurance for vehicles can at best be termed ambitious if not downright impractical. Not surprisingly, contractors rejected the plan as financially unviable.<br /><br />Mehta, however, is of the view that with time, the resistance will be overcome. "Only the MCD can''t be held responsible for the absence of a comprehensive plan. There are many other agencies that need to take stock together. For our part, we are trying to augment facilities," said Mehta.<br /><br /><span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">Abattoir mess</span><br /><br />The scenario is equally dismal when it comes to preventing illegal slaughter of animals. The MCD pleads helplessness, even as the court refuses to take ‘no'' for an answer.Animals are openly slaughtered and their hides tanned in areas like Qasadpura, Motia Khan, Seelampur and other localities on the outskirts of the city. Last week, the apex court ordered the MCD to immediately put a stop to such activities in the vicinity of the Idgah abattoir and present the action taken report on April 8. But this was not the first time the court was issuing these strictures, and may not be the last.<br /><br />Last year, the MCD had sealed 58 illegal meat shops near the Idgah after another reminder from the court. But after some time, the shops reopened and it was business as usual. Officials say shopowners had given an affidavit that they would not indulge in illegal slaughter of animals. Yet, it was recently brought to the court''s notice that there is virtually no control over such activities. Legally, only 2500 animals can be slaughtered in Delhi, but official estimates put the figure at 8,000.<br /><br />"The limit is clearly too low. Given the demand, illegal slaughter is bound to take place in such conditions. And it is impossible to check the same," opined a senior MCD official. Mehta, however, feels the problem should be tackled to a great extent once the modern abattoir at Ghazipur starts operating. MCD insiders say the facilities may fall short even then since the demand is booming by the day. "We should not wait for a court order, but start planning another abattoir," said an official.<br /><br /><span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">Bovine menace</span><br /><br />Cattle sauntering on busy city roads remains an enduring image despite many court orders and strictures. There are over 3,500 illegal dairies in the city, and any attempt to shut them ruffles political feathers. The MCD learnt this the hard way when it unleashed a drive to push these dairies to the outskirts or the seven designated areas in the city in October 2004. The drive was abandoned under immense political pressure, with some top Delhi leaders opposing the move.The matter came to the fore again only in February 2005 when two persons were gored to death in east Delhi by a rampaging bull. The deaths sparked a public outcry and the court stepped in, observing that it would hold MCD officials personally responsible for any other such deaths. The MCD cracked down on dairies in Shahdara. MCD raiding teams were attacked by mobs, and their cattle-catching vehicles damaged. The agency retreated and announced action in the less problematic areas of south and central Delhi in the third week of March. But that drive is yet to gather steam. Mehta, however, says that the problem will be solved in three months, with dairy plots being prepared in Ghogha.<br /><br />"Sometimes implementing a court order becomes extremely difficult, given the total lack of support from the people and the populist stance adopted by politicians. But in matters like illegal dairies and stray cattle, a strong court order only serves to strengthen our hands," said Mehta. The MCD has so far shied away from taking drastic measures like cutting the power and water supply to these illegal set-ups.<br /><br />Clearly, the civic body needs to get its act together on several fronts.</div> </div>
