Court asks govt to find way
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08/07/2008
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Asian Age (New Delhi)
NEW DELHI, July 8: The Supreme Court on Tuesday linked the strain on the national capital's infrastructure to unchecked migration and asked the Delhi government to find a way out for decongesting the national capital and prevent people from other states from settling here. Asserting that the court was conscious of the fundamental rights of the citizens to live and migrate to any part of the country, at the same time "the need is also fundamental for infrastructure and it is also equally important". The bench, headed by Justice Arjit Pasayat, passed the observation when solicitor general G.E. Vahanvati and additional solicitor-general P.P. Malhotra reasoned that the court's suggestion might not be practical as it would be violative of the citizens' fundamental rights. Setting up a committee, headed by an urban development ministry official, the top court said there should be a meeting of minds among the government officials and other agencies do decongest the city. It asked the government and agencies like the National Capital Region Development Board (NCRDB) to examine the "feasibility" of shifting some of the offices and residential complexes in Delhi to neighbouring areas like Faridabad, Noida, Ghaziabad and other regions. While setting up the committee for compliance of its suggestions, the top court, which is monitoring the sealing drive in the capital and examining the validity of Master Plan for Delhi 2021 (MPD 2021), appointed Mr Kutty, joint secretary in the ministry of urban development, as its convenor. The committee comprising officials from the NCRDB, MCD, DDA, NDMC has been asked to submit its report to the top court by the second week of August. Solicitor-general Vahanvati and senior counsel Ranjit Kumar, who is assisting the top court in the matter relating to sealing operations, will also assist the committee in formulating its report.