It's not normal for a high court, especially the Delhi High Court, to refer to an area as a "ticking time bomb."But that's just what the Delhi High Court did on Thursday.
Lambasting the lack of safety measures in the area, the court said, "Hauz Khas village is a ticking time bomb without essential civic and emergency services, and no response has been received from the authorities despite repeated queries."
The court went on to say that despite reports by the Delhi Police, Delhi Fire Service, SDMC and other agencies, Hauz Khas village remained without essential civic and emergency services.
But it wasn't just lack of security measures that the court was upset about. A bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Harishankar also stated that the place has no comprehensive solid waste management and sewage disposal evaluation has even the entered the minds of the concerned authorities.
"Our repeated queries regarding quantum of solid waste (i.e garbage) and sewage generated by these restaurants etc evoked no response from either the authorities or restaurant owners," the court said in its 17-page order.
The court also pulled up the Delhi Jal Board for not submitting a report and thereby directed the body to inspect each premises in Hauz Khas Village with regard to water supply, as well as for borewells which may have been illegally dug in these properties.
The court was hearing petitions filed by social activist Pankaj Sharma and advocate Anuja Kapur, who alleged that there are over 120 restaurants and pubs running in the area without any building plan approval or no objection certificate (NOC) from the authorities, including the fire department.
The bench also warned the associations of restaurants owners that they will not escape civil and criminal liability in case any unfortunate incident takes place, as there was virtually no space for emergency vehicles to enter the area.
