NEW DELHI: A small patch of land in South Delhi that used to be a pond is set to get its life back as the state government and Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) have agreed to initiate its revival process next week. Following the Delhi High Court’s order to review as many as 683 water bodies in the capital, the government came into action.
Located next to the Select Citywalk Mall in Khirki village, the encroached land is used for parking. The pond dried out as its area was encroached over the years and authorities had no data as to where it actually existed.
The first order to review the pond was passed by the Lahore High Court in 1944. “In its judgment, the court handed over the piece of land to the revenue department of the Delhi government. It also ordered to demarcate its boundary. A map was made which clearly mentioned that a certain portion of the land has been encroached upon, but no action was taken,” Sandeep Saini, from a local NGO, said.
Earlier, the Delhi High Court in 2009 had ordered to remove the encroachment on the land but not much was done. Last January, the state’s revenue department and MCD (South Zone) agreed to demarcate the boundary of the dead pond so that the revival process could start soon.
“Till the boundary of the water body is not specified, no work can start. But it is a relief to know that after 72 years of wait, the water body may come alive,” Saini said.