Meerut: Hearing the case of conversion of residential buildings into commercial establishments in Shastri Nagar Central Market in Meerut city on Monday, a Supreme Court bench of Justices J B Pardiwala and K Viswanathan ordered the immediate sealing of 16,726 unauthorised buildings identified by Meerut Development Authority (MDA).
The court expressed deep shock over the mushrooming of 600 illegal colonies in Meerut over time, pressing authorities on who masterminded the unauthorised developments. ” During the proceedings, authorities informed the court that 24 out of 44 previously targeted residential-turned-commercial properties in Central Market had been demolished following SC’s July directives. Supreme Court has scheduled the next hearing for Dec 9, directing respondents to file a status report in the interim. Supreme Court lawyer Ilin Saraswat, representing an affected party, confirmed the development.
“The court took a strong view of the properties surveyed and identified as illegal by the civic body. Justice Pardiwala directed the authorities to seal these properties with immediate effect. Expanding the scope of the crackdown, the bench instructed authorities to identify and map similar unauthorised properties across zones. The court instructed principal secretary of urban development and UP awas vikas parishad chairperson P Guruprasad to submit a comprehensive compliance report. Pointing to safety hazards highlighted by recent tragedies, the court left the rehabilitation of affected Central Market individuals to govt’s discretion. Additionally, the state was directed to ensure police protection for petitioner Lokesh Khurana following threats to his life.