Rajasthan HC orders committee to hear owners of 19 buildings in Walled City, Jaipur, ET RealEstate
JAIPUR: Rajasthan High Court Wednesday instructed a committee led by secretary, urban development and housing department, to hear owners of 19 buildings who were allegedly running commercial activities in residential areas of Walled City and submit a report within two months.
While hearing petitions from the shopkeepers and occupants of 19 buildings, a bench of Justice Indrajit Singh and Justice Manish Sharma provided temporary relief to them.
During the hearing of suo moto case of 2013 against the 19 identified buildings in the Walled City area, the counsel for the occupants argued in court that they were not given an opportunity for a personal hearing.
“There are 19 identified buildings in the Walled City. There are around 800 to 900 occupants in these 19 buildings. The court asked the committee to consider one building as one unit. They will make their representations before the committee. The committee has been directed to decide within two months,” Shobhit Tiwari, amicus curiae in the case, told TOI.
The court emphasised that a representative for each building should be called for the hearing to present the case on behalf of all the building’s owners before the committee. Additionally, the court has scheduled the next hearing for May 20.
Tiwari said that out of those, six properties were sealed recently. On Feb 25, a division bench of the HC ordered the immediate sealing of 19 buildings in the Walled City area in Jaipur for not following building bylaws and tampering with heritage. The order came after it was brought to the notice of the court that the committee, headed by the UDH Secretary, constituted on the instructions of the high court, considered 19 buildings completely illegal. It was said in the reply by the govt that 12 buildings were considered partially illegal. It was also informed that commercial activities were being conducted illegally at 19 buildings.
‘No relief in anti-encroachment drive cases
The high court provided no relief to individuals affected by the removal of encroachments from Jharkhand Mod to the 200-feet bypass. Chief Justice M M Srivastava-led bench declined to hear the matter. The division bench suggested that the affected parties should take their case to a single bench for consideration.
