New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) has been asked by the Delhi High Court to submit, within three weeks, a detailed plan on safety measures in the Khan Market redevelopment project, which is yet to see the light of day.
The Delhi High Court on Monday sought response from NDMC on a petition by the Khan Market Welfare Association against the civic body for not providing fire safety, sanitation and public health in the proposed redevelopment project.
The traders have submitted before the court that the Ministry of Urban Development (MoUD) has already given a green signal to the multi-crore project, which does not take into account fire safety and sanitation measures whereas traders and environmentalists have been opposing the plan since it was proposed in 2011.
The traders’ association approached the High Court seeking directions to NDMC to make adequate arrangements pertaining to fire safety and sanitation and to expedite the redevelopment plan. The petitioners also demanded that NDMC must bear the cost of the redevelopment plan.
“The proposed fire safety plans need immediate attention as they are inadequate and unfeasible. The proposal for disposal of sewage is also not in confirmation with the guidelines laid by the Delhi Pollution Control Committee,” the counsel for the traders’ association told the Court.
“The NDMC should pay for laying the fire safety measures, electricity and telephone cables, and sewer lines,” the petition added. Noting that NDMC had “failed to discharge its obligations properly”, the court has asked the civic body to file a reply on the above issues within three weeks time and posted the matter for November.
The NDMC had introduced a redevelopment plan for Khan Market last year, which is mainly concerned with the beautification of the market place.