New Delhi: A Supreme Court-appointed court commissioner, accompanied by senior officials from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) and independent experts, on Monday inspected heritage monuments plagued by encroachment in south Delhi’s Zamrudpur and Nizamuddin.
At some places, the clearing is still on going operation. The court also summoned the additional commissioner of MCD to appear and explain the conduct. The officials will report their findings of the inspection to the top court during the next hearing on October 7. Encroachment from inside the tombs have been removed and 20 truck loads of waste has been removed. A bench of justices Ahsanuddin Amanullah and N Kotiswar Singh posted the matter for October 7.
A senior municipal official said the court commissioner was informed about the steps taken by MCD to remove encroachments such as cattle sheds, garbage dumps and debris from the tombs in Zamrudpur.“The cattle shed and walls have been broken and most of the garbage has been removed. Our attempt is to restore the approach way and access from public streets to these monuments which have been covered by private individuals who had turned them into private house like structures,” official said on condition of anonymity. On Monday, the Supreme Court pulled up the MCD over the condition of Delhi’s heritage monuments after reports highlighting extensive encroachment at the Zamrudpur tombs brought the discrepancy to the court’s notice.
