Activist files PIL against Mehrauli pubs & restaurants, wants curb on noise & traffic snarls in area

New Delhi: A citizen activist of Mehrauli has filed Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in Delhi High Court against the rising traffic woes and noise pollution in the area, primarily due to unregulated growth of restaurants & bars operating in the area.

The High Court hearing the PIL by Sharad Vashisht, took cognizance of the noise pollution & traffic chaos, arising out of mismanagement by restaurants & bars and asked the authorities for ‘remedial steps’.

Notably, Delhi’s Mehrauli area has lately emerged as a party & outing destination for hundreds & thousands of millennials working in adjoining Gurugram (the Millennium city). This has resulted in sprouting of many unlicensed bars & restaurants in the area, which in turn have burdened the existing infrastructure & creating trouble for local residents.

A bench headed by Acting Chief Justice Manmohan hinted that it would ask the authorities concerned to look into the grievances raised by petitioner’s counsel Saurabh Sharma and also said that regulations with respect to playing music have to be followed.

“Decibel will have to be maintained. With respect to sound pollution, you have some merit,” the bench, also comprising Justice Mini Pushkarna, said.

The Court took exception to the authorities’ liberal ways of identifying commercial zones and also asked the authorities to consider multi-level parking facility in the area to deal with parking & traffic menace.

“This is how they have planned the city. They are very liberal with how they mark commercial areas. Your city panning is so poor. How can you make it a commercial area,” the court said in searing observation.

The counsel appearing for Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) however maintained that the commercial establishments were in conformity with existing laws & regulations.

The petitioner Sharad Vashisht is the General Secretary of Mehrauli’s Resident Welfare Association. In his PIL, he has claimed that there are several bars/pubs/restaurants around Qutub Minar in Mehrauli, which see a huge footfall.

He said that the influx of visitors goes unabated in the area, especially in the evening, and this continues till the morning hours due to lack of parking spaces.

” The Respondent No. 7 to 22 are Bars/Pubs/Restaurants mushroomed around Qutub Minar… For last 3 years, the petitioner has filed several complaints to the Respondent No. 1 to 6 (Delhi Police, MCD and Archaeological Survey of India authorities) regarding the traffic problem and noise pollution caused by the Respondent no. 7 to 22, but no action has been taken by them to rectify the situation,” the petition filed through lawyer Saurabh Sharma said.

The PIL has also sought directions from the court to restaurants & bars to keep the speakers within permissible limits and restrain them from creating any noise pollution in the area. It also demanded action against those bars serving liquor without licence.