To give own land for Games, UP demands 115 hectares in Delhi

The Uttar Pradesh government has staked claim on 115 hectares of prime land in Delhi for releasing some land to the Delhi government for the Commonwealth Games.

The demand is part of a bargain struck by the Uttar Pradesh government to “amicably resolve” a litigation initiated by it in the Supreme Court after the Delhi government acquired 21 acres of land to widen the UP Link Road connecting the Commonwealth Games Village with Noida.

UP’s claims were voiced in a meeting held by Attorney General of India G E Vahanvati on April 20 (and attended by the chief secretaries of both states. The meeting was held on the directions of the Supreme Court.

UP has asked the Delhi government to “change land use” for two tracts of land, measuring 100 hectares and 15 hectares in Aali and Okhla villages respectively, on Mathura Road. “The state of UP had requested for a change of land use of both parcels of land to residential, for purposes of accommodation for officers, offices of the state government and incidental public and semi-public facilities that go along with such land use,” an application filed before the Supreme Court by the UP government said.

Appearing for the UP before a three-judge bench led by Chief Justice of India K G Balakrishnan, senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi submitted: “Uttar Pradesh has two pieces of land in Delhi and the state requests for a change in land use on both tracts of land to residential...”

Besides this, UP wants Delhi to set up a sewage treatment plant at the Chilla Regulator (on the UP Link Road) on Shahdara drain to prevent untreated sewage from entering the latter’s Yamuna waters.

“Delhi should put up the sewage treatment plant so that the sewage is treated before the drain enters the state of UP in Noida, so that treated sewage is then channelled to the Yamuna,” the application stated. Land in UP, as required by Delhi for the Games, will be made available if the two demands are met, the application added.

“The state of UP assured the state of Delhi that subject to the amicable solution of the above two important issues of the UP government, land required for the Commonwealth Games, some of which has already been acquired by Delhi, would further be made available as and when required by Delhi.”Maintaining that a second meeting is slated for April 30, Rohatgi requested the court to await the outcome of the meeting.

The upcoming meeting will be attended by the vice-chairperson of the Delhi Development Authority and the Secretary of the Union Urban Development Ministry.