The construction of 39 storey private high-rise buildings in educational areas such as North Campus is completely illegal, and it is also a big threat to the security and integrity of Delhi University. It creates a major environmental concern .In 2001, the Delhi government had acquired the three-acre land of the Ministry of Defence for the construction of the Delhi University Metro Station .
The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) had bought the land from the Defence Ministry for Rs 42.4 crore which was for public and was even acquired on public money. It was subsequently sold to a private builder for Rs 218 crore. However ,now the cost of the land may be more than a thousand crore rupees .
How can Delhi Metro Rail Corporation purposely sell public land to a private builder ? Whereas the land in question is highly concerning, and it comes under the purview of Delhi university's academic area .The incident raises the question on the credibility of DMRC .
The credibility of Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRCL) on felling and transplanting of 2,646 trees in Aarey for the Metro 3 car shed project is already in public discourse and questions have been raised that MMRCl is not concerned about environmental issues. If 39 storey private building have been built then the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC)'s credibility will be questioned by the young students and environmentalists. Therefore DMRC should intervene and the land should be returned to the appropriate authority .
However ,the university had moved the high court in 2012 but lost the case before a single-judge bench in 2015. The area does not fall under North Campus, HC had said. DU then moved against the order in HC itself after the three year . Whereas letter patents appeal (LPA) need to filed within 90 days after the single bench order, the university filed it after 3 years .The two-judge bench dismissed the petition, questioning the delay on DU’s part to file an appeal. DU had claimed it didn’t have a vice-chancellor, delaying the executive council’s meeting .The question that arises here is why the university authority filed letter patents appeal (LPA) after 3 years .This shows how university of Delhi authority works on the
concerned issues .
However ,I personally wrote a letter to M.H.R.D ,C.M.O ,Delhi and PMO on 10th October 2018 but in the reply of C.M.O ,Delhi only apprised concern other offices are still silent .
This place is near the National Heritage like Gwyer Hall ,Vice Chancellor office and near the Gandhi Bhawan .This place is also under the public educational hub. The vice Chancellor’s house is attached with the disputed land There are six girls hostels near this building. The DRDO office and the Lieutenant Governor’s office are also nearby. This area is an educational area and a high-security zone. The construction of such a large private building can pose a serious threat to the privacy of the girls living in the Delhi University hostels, and also to the security of this area. It also violates the three points of Clause 11 of the Delhi Master Plan 2021.
Clause 11 of the master plan stated that restrictions on tall buildings would be necessary in
important areas like Lutyens Bungalow Zone, Civil lines and North Delhi campus. In case of Urban Extension, areas for specific Urban Design projects and tall buildings should be identified.
The design must also reflect respect to pedestrians and differently abled persons but safety issue of differently abled person will be definitely under the threat after the construction of the 39-storey private building .
There is a long demand for closed 'North Campus', and if 39 storey building is built, mentioned demand will never be possible. The idea of close campus is also elaborated in the Delhi Master Plan 2021.
The project falls in the silence zone as it is stationed within 100 metres distance from the University of Delhi, an educational institution, and Vallabhbhai Patel Chest Institute, a super speciality hospital for pulmonary diseases .
While granting the impugned environment clearance for the construction of the tallest building in Delhi under the proposed project, the impact that its habitation will bring to the level of air and noise pollution was blatantly ignored by SEIAA in as much as the waste disposal considerations were also not taken into account in any manner.
Ironically ,in the present situation, the students can not protest within 100 meters radius of the Administrative Block.The students cannot protest under the 100 metres radius but 39 storey private building can be built .
However , in the legal development ,Department of Forests issued permission to Young Builders Pvt. Ltd. to remove 156 trees at the construction site .The N.G.T has taken cognizance and issued the letter to North Delhi Municipal Corporation with other authority .Now ,the matter is in the supreme Court through special leave petition . But the company has started construction since two months.There is no legal prohibition to stop the construction .
The students of Delhi University are under fear .They have been raising their voice through the protest but the issue involves more than thousands of crores and major corporate and administrative interests .
So Instead of delaying the issue the intervention of Prime Minister's office is necessary .The Vice Chancellor of Delhi University and many other authority already wrote the letter to P.M.O ,Ministry of Defence and Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Government of India .
We, the students of the University of Delhi already proposed that instead of 29 storey private building, a hostel should be built for the marginalized class of Delhi university .
I think that the intervention of the prime minister's office is necessary because prime minister's university building is under threat .
- Raja Choudhary,
(Raja Choudhary is student of Faculty of Law , University of Delhi .Former presidential candidate of Delhi University Student Union .Author a novel ‘Ayodhya’ .)
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