The MCD on Tuesday sealed the mall operating out of the Inderlok station of the Delhi Metro saying it did not have any prior approval. The DMRC called the action unilateral and a “contempt of court” because they were restrainment orders from the judicial as well as administrative authorities.
An MCD team of the Sadar Paharganj zone carried out sealing at 59 points in the mall forcing a closure of business at the eateries, departmental stores and other shops.
The MCD maintained that the developers Parsvanath had violated the building bylaws by not taking any prior permission from the corporation. The developers had maintained that they were exempt from taking permission by virtue of an Union urban development ministry order.
Urban development secretary Dr M. Ramachandran said that property development on Delhi Metro premises was a Cabinet-mandated decision. He, however, added that whether the developer needed to get prior approval of the local civic body was something that needed to be looked into.
The MCD claimed that only those structures, which were integral to the operational part of the Delhi Metro network, could be constructed without its prior approval. But the same was not true for commercial ventures.
A senior MCD official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said that the developer did not have a strong case, as they have reportedly approached the corporation seeking a “no-objection certificate”.
He added that the MCD had nothing to do with DMRC as it was the developer, who is supposed to get the clearances.
However, the DMRC maintained that allowing commercial establishments on its stations was a way to increase its revenues and keep the fares down.
DMRC chief E. Sreedharan has written a letter to municipal commissioner K.S. Mehra saying that the action was “unilateral” and has asked the MCD to de-seal the premises at the earliest as it was causing hardships to passengers.