HC directs Najafgarh fruits and vegetables wholesalers to vacate DJB land for WTP

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court has directed members of an association, dealing in the wholesale trade of fruits and vegetables, to vacate Delhi Jal Board's land here for setting up a water treatment

plant.

The high court said the water treatment plant with 50 Million Gallons per Day (MGD) capacity is essential to serve "a very large part of Delhi" and would benefit about 15 lakh residents.

"Clearly, public interest at large would suffer if construction of the proposed water treatment plant is impeded in any way," a bench of Acting Chief Justice Vipin Sanghi and Justice Sachin Datta said in a recent order.

The high court vacated an interim order of September last year by which the members of Najafgarh Fruits and Vegetables Wholesale Sellers and Adhitey Association Sabzi Mandi, Najafgarh, who were occupying the DJB land to carry on their wholesale trade in fruits and vegetables, continued to occupy the space till further orders.

The high court granted six weeks to the association and its members to vacate the land and made it clear that no further time would be granted.

In case, the members of the appellant association do not voluntarily vacate the area, it shall be open to the respondents to take coercive steps to remove them, it said.

The Delhi Jal Board (DJB) sought vacation of the interim order on the ground that the land was required for the construction of a second 50 MGD water treatment plant which would provide relief to the residents of Dwarka Sub-City Najafgarh, Uttam Nagar, Sagarpur, Rajokari, and

Bijwasan.

DJB said the project was essential for the redressal of the water supply issue being suffered by the residents of these areas.

The high court noted that admittedly the land where members of the association were shifted under the orders of the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) due to the COVID-19 situation belonged to DJB which now requires it for setting up the water treatment plant.

The water treatment plant is essential to serve a very large part of Delhi and would benefit about 15 lakh residents. Clearly, public interest at large would suffer if construction of the proposed water treatment plant is impeded in any way, the court said.