By Abu Zafar, India Tomorrow,
New Delhi, 28 Dec 2013: Even though the National Commission for Minorities and the Ministry of Urban Development, Delhi has ordered the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) to demarcate the 14 acres graveyard land whereon the civic body has erected one of Delhi’s largest parks, the DDA has not implemented the order even after five months.
The 14 acres land was given to the Management Committee of New Cemetery for Mohamedans by the President of India on 10 January 1964 but the DDA occupied it and erected the Millennium Indraprastha Park. The park spreading over 85 acres of land including the 14 acres of graveyard was built by DDA in 2004.
On 1 August 2013, the NCM had ordered DDA to demarcate the 14 acres of graveyard land in the park.
“The sanction of allotment of the land by the President of India to the New Cemetery for Mohammedans by an order of 10.01.964 is undisputed. In view of the above, the Commission directed L&DO (Land and Development Office) and the DDA to organize a meeting to demarcate the land with DDA allotted as a graveyard, as the L&DO had already transferred 14 acres to the New Cemetery for Mohammedans for the sole purpose of graveyard,” the judgment reads.
“This will fulfil a long standing need of the growing Muslim community of the Delhi NCR, which is at present woefully short of such space, leading to unnecessary friction in some neighbourhoods. This exercise might be completed within twenty days of receipt of this,” it further reads.
“After hearing the parties the Commission is of the view that the position with regard to the status of the land is clear as the land has been handed over after observing all legal requirements, by the L&DO (Land and Development Office) to the New Cemetery for Mohammedans for the specific purpose of use as graveyard,” The bench which was comprised of NCM Chairperson Wajahat Habibullah and Dr. Ajaib Singh, member of NCM, also noted.
N.K Joshi, Deputy Land and Development officer of the Ministry of Urban Development also sent a letter to Vice Chairman of DDA on August 7 asking ‘to demarcate the area allotted for Qabrastan (14 acres) which has been allotted to Management Committee of New Cemetery for Mohamedans, Kotla Ferozshah, Delhi.”
DDA comes under the Ministry of Urban Development as a statutory & autonomous body.
A letter was also sent by NCM’s legal officer M.A. Khan on August 16 asking for an Action Taken Report (ATR) on the given judgment.
Intizar Naeem, assistant secretary of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, who approached NCM and the ministry after writing several letters to DDA and other concern bodies, told India Tomorrow that the DDA hasn’t responded to the judgment yet.
“They didn’t respond yet. After this judgment I have sent a letter also reminding them to demarcate the area as per the decision of NCM,” Naeem said.
This is not the first time when DDA has been accused of such practice. The judgment also criticized the way the DDA maintain its records.
”Chairman observed that the maintenance of records by DDA left much to be desired, as was also his experience in his former assignment as Chief Information Commissioner of India,” the judgment reads.
“This has been the source of unnecessary conflict over property, particularly on the status of title from the time of and prior to Independence. This might be brought to the notice of Vice Chairman DDA for rectification,” it further reads.
India Tomorrow tried to contact concerned DDA officials several times but they were not available for comment.
