New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Monday dismissed a plea seeking direction to suspend all construction activity of the Central Vista Avenue Redevelopment Project in view of the second wave of the COVID19 pandemic.
A bench comprising Chief Justice D.N. Patel and Justice Jyoti Singh dismissed a plea seeking to halt the project, saying "It is an essential project of national importance. The public is vitally interested in the project."
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Centre, had alleged that the plea was a "facade" to stall the work.
The court imposed Rs 1 lakh fine on petitioners, observing that the petition is not genuine public interest litigation but a "motivated" one.
The Delhi HC refused to halt the construction work, saying "as the workers are staying on the construction site, adhering to all the COVID 19, there is no question of suspending the construction work."
Also read:PIL against Central Vista a disguise to stall project: Centre to HC
"The orders issued by the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), nowhere prohibits the construction work", says the Delhi HC.
Shapoorji Pallonji and Company Pvt Ltd, which has been awarded tender, also opposed the PIL, stating that it lacks bona fide, and the construction firm was taking care of its workforce.
Senior advocate Sidharth Luthra, representing the petitioners, had submitted that the petitioners were only interested in the safety of the workers at the site and compared the project to "Auschwitz", a German concentration camp during World War II.
Also read:PIL against Central Vista an attempt to stall project: Centre to HC
The petitioners, Anya Malhotra and Sohail Hashmi, had sought a stay on the construction activities of Central Vista in the backdrop of the COVID-19 situation in the capital and the threat posed by the construction activities as a potential super spreader.
The Supreme Court on January 5, had already given the green signal to the project, as it declined to entertain petitions alleging violation of land use and environmental norms for the project.
(Agency Inputs)
