New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered
maintenance of status quo on halt to construction
activities in the green belt of Lucknow city by Lucknow
Development Authority which was restrained by the Allahabad
High Court to carry out any further work in the area.
"Let there be a status quo on the premises relating to
which the directions has been passed by the High Court," a
bench headed by Justice Altamas Kabir said.
It sought a response from Gomti Nagar Jan Kalyan Maha
Samiti, on whose PIL the High Court had passed the order, and
posted the matter for hearing on July 14.
The High Court had on April 6 passed the order on a plea
of the Samiti that environmental balance would be adversely
affected if LDA was permitted to increase the total area of
the Master Plan 2021.
Attorney General G E Vahanvati, appearing for LDA,
contended the High Court had committed a mistake in
restraining it from carrying out construction work including
fencing of the green area.
"The grievance raised by the writ petitioners (in HC)
have been redressed in as much as the land use of the area in
question has been changed to parks, open space by a statutory
notification issued by the state government," he said.
He also said the High Court wrongly granted the final
relief to the society at interim stage.
"Passing of such an interim order 5 years after approval
of the Master Plan 2021 amounts to reviewing the finding of
the High Court in earlier proceedings with respect to the
matter in issue," he said.
"The High Court has also directed to open the Lower
Bandha road by the impugned interim order and by doing so the
High Court has granted final relief to the petitioner at
interim stage, which is impermissible in law," the petition
said adding the opening of the road was not in the interest of
the residents.
LDA said the impugned order directed it to demolish the
existing blockade which has been there since 2008 and no one
had ever complained against the same.
PTI
