Demolition of illegal Delhi stadium highlights Indian planning shortcomings.
In recent months, we have reported on a couple of Indian demolition contracts that call into question the country’s planning and building control systems. First, we reported on the demolition of a hospital building before a demolition license had even been granted; and then we reported on the demolition of a pair of relatively new nightclubs that contravened building regulations.
And now comes news that an open air stadium in Delhi is to be demolished….because the owner never had permission to build it in the first place.
Delhi High Court has ordered the demolition of an open-air stadium, built illegally in Ajmal Khan Park. The high court ruled that there couldn’t be illegal constructions in any public park. The court also restrained the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) from building a full-fledged indoor stadium. The court said: “L-G is not an architect nor an engineer. You are answerable to the public at large. How can you use an ornamental park (Ajmal Khan park) for constructing a stadium when the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) has clearly stated that no construction is permissible?”
Read the full story here.
