Based on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) challenging the alleged unlawful construction of Urban Extension Road II through the village pond land in Goyla Khurd, located in the Southwest District of Delhi, the Delhi High Court has issued a notice to centre demanding answers. The construction, which took place between 2018 and 2024, is visible in Google satellite images and raises concerns about the loss of natural resources crucial for environmental sustainability, especially as the city grapples with pollution, heatwaves, groundwater depletion, and climate change, the plea stated.
The petition, moved by the Centre for Youth Culture Law and Environment through Advocate Paras Tyagi, stated that this construction occurred nearly nine years after the court’s 2013 order, which directed the cancellation of all allotments on pond and waterbody lands, and the provision of alternative land. The PIL argued that, in this case, it was feasible to avoid the construction through such ecologically significant areas.
The bench of Justice Manmohan and Justice Tushar Rak Gedela sought responses from all respondents, including the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), Delhi Government, and Delhi Development Authority (DDA), and listed the matter for a detailed hearing in March 2025.
The plea alleges that the respondents, including the Revenue Department of the Delhi Government and the DDA, have consistently failed to protect vital environmental assets in the national capital. In 2022, they constructed a significant portion of the Urban Extension Road II through the village pond in Goyla Khurd. Satellite imagery indicates that this was done in a planned manner, disregarding Delhi High Court’s orders from 2002 and the subsequent directions in 2013.
The petition also contends that the respondents deliberately ignored these court directives, showing willful contempt for both the Court’s orders and environmental concerns.
This development follows a similar notice issued by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) in October 2024, where the NGT sought a response from the NHAI over the alleged illegal construction of a highway encroaching upon the protected pond in Goyla Khurd village. The NGT’s action was based on reports that the NHAI proceeded without conducting a necessary environmental impact assessment, potentially endangering local biodiversity and disrupting the ecosystem. It was alleged that 80 percent of the pond was already lost to the construction.
Environmental activists have raised concerns that the construction violates orders of the Supreme Court and high court, as well as wetland rules. Despite these claims, the NHAI maintains that all necessary statutory permissions were obtained for the project.
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The case highlights the ongoing tension between infrastructure development and environmental conservation in Delhi, bringing attention to the need for sustainable planning that respects ecological assets.
