By IANS
New Delhi : The Delhi High Court Monday pulled up the Delhi Development Authority (DDA), the capital’s land management agency, for allowing “the land mafia” to encroach land worth millions of rupees.
A bench headed by Justice T.S. Thakur said the encroachment of prime land had been possible by the land mafia because some officials had been indulging in corrupt practices.
During the hearing of an application by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), it observed: “Your officers are doing nothing. Lands worth millions of rupees had been taken away by the land mafia in connivance with your officials.”
Asking the central government to initiate action against the corrupt officials, the court warned that if the situation did not change, it might direct for a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe.
Adjourning the matter for hearing on Nov 14, it directed the DDA to take possession of its land wherever it was lying vacant.
The DDA had allotted 920-bigha land in south Delhi to DMRC for the construction of a Delhi Metro station. When the DMRC went to take possession of it, it found that the land mafia was in possession of 600 bighas.
The corporation had approached the court to evict the encroachers.