The Delhi High Court has refused to stay the demolition of kiosks near the Namo Bharat Metro Rail Station at Sarai Kale Khan, emphasizing that the Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) corridor is a vital public infrastructure project.
The Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS corridor, spanning 82 kilometers, aims to drastically reduce travel time between Delhi and Meerut to under an hour. The project is being developed by the National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC).
A bench comprising Justices Prathiba M Singh and Rajneesh Kumar Gupta observed that the tehbazari (temporary permit) certificates issued to the kiosk owners in January 2018 were provisional in nature. The court directed the stall owners to vacate and remove their belongings.
The court was hearing a petition filed by two stallholders seeking a stay on the demolition of kiosks at Ustad Hafiz Ali Khan Sahib Marg in Sarai Kale Khan. The petitioners contended that the demolition, initiated by NCRTC on May 6, was conducted without prior notice, violating principles of natural justice.
“The development work is being carried out in the vicinity of the shop itself and in fact, the kiosks of the petitioners would be coming in the way of the development. The RRTS line is a crucial infrastructure project, which is being undertaken by NCRTC,” the court noted in its order.
The bench further remarked, “Considering the fact that the tehbazari itself is temporary and the RRTS project is a project in public interest, the petitioners cannot be seen to argue that they cannot be dispossessed.”
The court, however, directed the authorities to consider and decide on the petitioners’ plea for an alternative site within two months.
The MCD’s counsel reiterated that tehbazari permits are inherently temporary, while NCRTC’s legal representative informed the court that the redevelopment of the Namo Bharat Metro Rail Station is part of the RRTS line project, carried out under the orders of the Supreme Court. The demolition of kiosks, the counsel added, was essential for the ongoing development work.
