The municipal authorities are cahoots with the well - connected owners of illegally running marriagehouses and their “complicity” is quite obvious as even after the Supreme Court appointed Monitoring Committee took strong note of these illegal farmhouses, violations still “galore” and the official action seems to be nothing more than just an “eye-wash”.
The south civic body had served notices to 16 motels in Najafgarh zone and 20 motels in the south zone. Interestingly, not even a single notice served to the farmhouses comes under South Corporation. However, a senior SDMC official said that survey would be conducted soon to find such farmhouses which defying rules. While the north corporation claimed to have surveyed 41 properties and served notices to 26 motels and six farmhouses comes under Narela and Civil Line zone. Officials of both the corporations said that these properties would be sealed only after receiving their response. Interestingly, the civic officials also failed to answer if they (violators) have given any time to respond.
Despite repeated request to provide with a list of those farmhouses and motels to whom notices were served, officials out-rightly denied it without giving any convincing reply.
It may be noted that on September 2, the apex court appointed Monitoring Committee conducted an inspection of the farm houses and motels falling under the jurisdiction of South and North Delhi Municipal Corporations and noticed violations like unauthoriesd construction, misuse of properties, illegal air conditions pandals, shamiyanas, sheds on their premises and holding social functions without approval of the corporation. Folowing this, the committee had directed to both the corporations, directing them to seal all these within 48 hour after serving notices for defying rules.
Despite Supreme Court’s orders to not allow sprawling party lawns in the national Capital to host opulent weddings, owners of these lawns are minting money while babus are looking the other way.
Sources said officials take their cut on daily basis to let them violate municipal law and laid down green norms. “All these units allegedly paid Rs three to five lakh for organising such wedding functions to the officials of the respective zonal offices and that is the reason they keep running their illegal business without facing any action from corporations, sources in the corporations said.
As per estimates, 12000 such illegal pandals, shamiyana and illegal wedding venues exit in the capital along with national highways, causing huge traffic jams. What is worse is that majority of these party lawns are run on diesel generators and cause traffic jams on already busy roads. Since these party lawns do not have proper water connections, groundwater is illegally extracted and tankers could be seen moving in and out.
As there are many such venues across the city, they are operating in areas at Qutub Minar, MG Road, Arjangarh, Bhati mines, Chattarpur Road and GT Karnal Road.
Many of the farmhouses built air-conditioned pandals illegally even outside their premises without inviting any objection from the zonal department of the municipal corporation.