Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): The Madhya Pradesh High Court on Friday directed the Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC) to reconsider its action against properties allegedly being used for commercial purposes in a residential area and take a fresh decision complying with the Supreme Court order on the matter.
The court has given the civic body four weeks to take a decision on the matter.
Justice Vishal Mishra passed the order while disposing of a petition filed by Vinod Kumar Singh and others against the BMC and other authorities.
The petitioners had challenged a Sep 5, 2022, show-cause notice threatening sealing and demolition of their freehold property.
They claimed that the area had been earmarked for commercial use under the applicable master plan and that the property had already been converted from leasehold to freehold.
The petitioners told the court that they had submitted a reply to the notice, but it was not available on record. The BMC agreed to reconsider the matter after taking the petitioners' response and relevant documents into account.
The court granted the petitioners seven days to submit a detailed reply, if they had not already done so, and directed the authorities to provide them an opportunity of hearing. BMC said the entire exercise would be completed within four weeks.
The court also directed the authorities to consider the Supreme Court judgment in Rajendra Kumar Barjatya and Another vs UP Avas Evam Vikas Parishad and Others.
The interim protection granted on Sep 21, 2022, will remain in force until a final decision is taken.
Congress targets govt over master plan
Meanwhile, former minister PC Sharma began a 31-hour fast at Roshanpura Square on Friday, demanding implementation of Bhopal's master plan.
Speaking with Free Press, former urban administration minister Jaivardhan Singh, who also joined the protest, alleged that the BJP government was delaying a new master plan because of corruption and commission-based practices.
Residents oppose proposed TDR zone
The Joint Residents' Struggle Committee has also objected to a proposal to declare an area extending nearly 500 metres on either side of the Bhopal Metro corridor as a Transferable Development Rights (TDR) receiving zone.
Representatives Vivek Tripathi and Lavneesh Bhati demanded public disclosure of the detailed map, affected khasra numbers, development limits and construction norms.
They also sought an assessment of the proposal's impact on water bodies, forests, protected areas and low-density residential areas.
Bhati questioned the need to amend the 2005 Master Plan when the government is preparing Development Plan-2047 and demanded that the proposal be withdrawn.
Officialspeak
BMC commissioner Sanskriti Jain said the corporation would prepare the plan in compliance with the court's order and proceed with further action accordingly.
