No indoor stadium in Delhi park, rules high court

The Delhi High Court Wednesday objected to an indoor basketball stadium being built in a park in west Delhi for the 2010 Commonwealth Games, and asked the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to restore the premises to its old form.

A division bench of Chief Justice Ajit Prakash Shah and Justice S. Muralidhar told the MCD to undo the construction that has come up in Ajmal Khan Park in Karol Bagh.

'All construction should be removed and the park should be restored in its initial phase,' it said.

The court asked the MCD to comply with the order and file a status report.

The high court Oct 28 reserved its order and stated, 'We cannot allow any activity in the park until and unless a proper sanction plan is submitted to us.'

Refuting the MCD's contention that Delhi's Lieutenant Governor had approved the plan for construction, the court said: 'The Lieutenant Governor is not an architect nor an engineer. You are answerable to the public at large. How can you use an ornamental park (Ajmal Khan park) for constructing a stadium when the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) has clearly stated that no construction is permissible?'

The MCD had earlier contended that no other sports facility is available to the children of the locality and said: 'The basketball federation is organising camps regularly in the park for the past 40 years or so.'

The court acted on a public interest petition filed by voluntary organisation Paryavaran Evam Jan Utthan, which challenged the construction on the ground that it was not environment-friendly.

The NGO alleged that a 100-tonne AC plant would be installed at the stadium, which is very hazardous for the environment.

The proposed stadium, being constructed by the MCD at a cost of Rs.60 million, would be a world-class facility with 3,000-seating capacity. It would have 10 rooms for players and an ultra-modern gym.