HC slams Delhi Govt for 'lethargy' in construction of 100-bedded Najafgarh hospital

A Division Bench of Chief Justice DN Patel and Justice Jyoti Singh called it unfortunate of the public that a 100-bedded hospital in the Najafgarh area was not completed and criticized the Delhi government for showing a lethargic attitude in processing the forest clearance.

However, the Court granted time to the Delhi government to file its reply to the petition indicating the least possible time within which the state government may grant permission/sanction, as required by the Centre under law.

The Court also remarked that the Centre is writing letters after letters and no reply has been given by the Delhi Government, nor it file any counter-affidavit in the writ petition. The Court made it clear to the Delhi government that it cannot sit tight upon the matters asking it to follow the process of law-keeping in mind the welfare of the public at large.

The Court has listed the matter for hearing on November 8.

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The Court's remarks came while hearing the litigation filed in public interest filed by a lawyer Rajesh Kaushik, seeking a direction to the governments to complete construction and operation of the 100-bedded general hospital at the site of Rural Health Training Centre (RHTC) in Najafgarh here.

Henceforth, the Centre has urged the Delhi High Court to direct the concerned authority to expedite clearance for transplantation of trees so that the construction work at the RHTC Najafgarh, Delhi can be completed.

Representing the Centre, advocate Anurag Ahluwalia, told the Court that the physical progress of the construction work of the hospital is 80 per cent completed, except the peripheral road, pending for want of clearance from the Department of Forest, Ministry of Environment and Forest, Government of NCT of Delhi, for transplantation of trees.

The Centre government also apprised the Court that the hospital may be completed by the end of the year, subject to the clearance of pending approval by the Department of Forest, Ministry of Environment and Forest, Government of NCT of Delhi as clearance from Delhi government's forest department is pending since December 2018.

The Centre submitted that the work involves shifting/transplantation of few trees and the same could be undertaken only after the forest clearance is available. Henceforth, the Centre has urged the Delhi High Court to expedite clearance for transplantation of trees so that, the construction work at the RHTC Najafgarh, Delhi can be completed.