The Court further said that petition is not a genuine public interest litigation (PIL) petition but a “motivated” one and slapped a penalty of Rs. 1 lakh on the petitioners.
The Delhi High Court on Monday junked a plea seeking direction to the Central government to stop the ongoing construction of the Central Vista Project in the national capital in view of the COVID-19 pandemic. It said that the project is an “essential project” and of “national importance”
Central Vista construction to CONTINUE: Delhi High Court
1 Lakh cost imposed on Petitioner#CentralVista #CentralVistaProject #DelhiHighCourt pic.twitter.com/qyBhukKiqp
— Bar & Bench (@barandbench) May 31, 2021
A Bench of Chief Justice DN Patel and Justice Jyoti Singh ruled that the work currently ongoing is part and parcel of the project and of vital importance and can’t be seen in isolation.
“It is an essential project of national importance. Public is vitally interested in the project,” the Court said, reported Bar&Bench
The Court further said that petition is not a genuine public interest litigation petition but a “motivated” one and slapped a penalty of Rs. 1 lakh on the petitioners.
As per the contract given to the Shapoorji Pallonji Group, the construction has to be completed by November, and it should be allowed to continue, the court emphasized.
“They have to complete the construction before November 2021. Time is of the essence. Once workers are staying at the site and all facilities are provided and COVID 19 behavior are adhered to, no reason to stop the project. This is not a genuine PIL,” it said
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The plea argued that there was no rationale for classifying the Central Vista project as an “essential service”, merely because some executive-mandated contractual deadline was ostensibly required to be met.
The Central government opposed the plea, stating that the construction activities currently ongoing in and around Rajpath and India Gate do not pertain to the new Parliament building or new offices for the Central government.
The large-scale construction of Central Vista, especially at a time when Delhi was under a lockdown due to COVID-19 has drawn lots of criticism directed to the Centre.
The redevelopment project in the Central Vista area of Lutyens Delhi being built at a cost of Rs 20,000 crores consists of a new Parliament House, a new residential complex that will house the Prime Minister and the Vice-President, as well as several new office buildings and a Central Secretariat to accommodate Ministry offices.
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