The Delhi High Court has restrained all religious and commercial activities within the ecologically sensitive Yamuna floodplains, holding that protection of the river ecosystem must take precedence over competing considerations.
The single-judge Bench of Justice Jasmeet Singh observed that the floodplain area required strict regulatory protection owing to its ecological sensitivity. The Court restrained all forms of commercial exploitation and religious gatherings in the notified area, including activities linked to parking and visitor facilitation.
While dismissing a writ petition filed by one Suresh Kumar, the Court directed the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) to ensure strict enforcement of the prohibition at Yamuna Sur Ghat and prevent any unauthorised use of the land. It clarified that even temporary parking or vehicular access for devotees during religious occasions cannot be permitted if such activity disturbs the ecologically sensitive floodplain zone.
The petitioner sought restoration of a 2022 tender floated by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) for maintenance of a parking site at Yamuna Sur Ghat. The tender had been issued pursuant to a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the DDA and the MCD, and Kumar had emerged as the highest bidder. The petitioner contended that possession of the parking site had already been handed over to him and that the contractual work had commenced before the allotment was withdrawn by the civic authorities in 2025.
Opposing the plea, the DDA submitted that the land in question forms part of the Yamuna floodplains and cannot legally be utilised for commercial purposes in view of environmental restrictions and land-use regulations governing the area.
The High Court rejected the prayer for restoration of the parking contract, noting that the petitioner had not specifically challenged the cancellation of the tender. It further observed that any claim for monetary compensation arising out of the cancellation of a contractual allotment would fall within the domain of a civil suit and cannot ordinarily be adjudicated in writ jurisdiction under Article 226 of the Constitution.
The single-judge Bench noted that if parking facilities were required for devotees visiting the Yamuna river during religious occasions, the DDA must identify and develop alternate parking arrangements away from the floodplain area without causing ecological degradation to the environmentally sensitive zone.
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