From correspondents in Delhi, India, 10:00 PM IST

Pulling up the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) for not allotting plots to 25,000 people 25 years after the Rohini scheme was announced, the Delhi High Court Wednesday sought explanation from the urban development ministry.

A division bench of Chief Justice Ajit Prakash Shah and Justice Manmohan said, 'Why have you (DDA) restrained so many people from their right and now showing sympathy towards them? And why people will now pay the higher price of the plot?'

The court asked the DDA's commissioner (planning) and the director of the ministry to appear in person Oct 21 and explain the reasons for this delay.

The DDA in its affidavit before the court said the delay in carving out plots for allotment to wait-listed people has been due to the non-availability of the anticipated number of plots because of the reasons beyond its control. It also said that these plots could be made available to only 16,000 registrants.

'The approval of the competent authority is required since as per the Master Plan 2021 only eight percent of area in a residential pocket can be earmarked for plotted development,' the DDA said.

The court was hearing a plea of Rahul Gupta, who had applied in the DDA Rohini Residential Scheme of 1981 for allotment of a plot.

'Around 84,000 registrants applied for the plot under MIG (middle income group), LIG (lower income group) and Janta categories. Till 1989, DDA allotted the plots through computerised draws and assigned a waiting priority number to the remaining registrants of the scheme,' Gupta said in his petition.

'Thereafter, DDA kept on delaying on one pretext or other, saying the allotments would be made provided sufficient land and infrastructure services are made available by the concerned agencies like the Delhi administration and Municipal Corporation of Delhi,' he said.

(Staff Writer, © IANS)