New Delhi
The Delhi High Court on Wednesday pulled up the Centre and the Delhi government over the long-pending regularisation of South Delhi’s Sainik Farm colony, noting that residents had been “hanging fire for years” without being able to lay a brick for repairs.
A Bench of Chief Justice D.K. Upadhyaya and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela said the authorities appeared unwilling to take a final decision on the issue.
“The basic question remains, what is the central government, in consultation with the State government, doing for regularising these colonies. You have to make a final decision. It appears everybody is trying to pass the buck and, as happens in these matters, the buck ultimately stops at the court,” the Bench remarked.
The court reiterated that officials from the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, the Delhi government, the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) should sit together and decide the fate of the residents who have petitioned for relief.
The court was hearing a batch of petitions over the regularisation of the colony, with certain petitioners also urging it to pass an order to allow repairs in their existing properties.
Noting why simple legislation could not resolve the residents’ problems, the Bench said: “First and last thing we want to know is what you are doing about these colonies. They have been hanging fire without being able to lay a brick, even for repairs, and yet you are letting them live this way for the last 10-15 years.”
The court also said that the residents had been there for decades and were unlikely to relocate. “Think about a possible solution because within the current statutory framework perhaps nothing is possible,” it said. The matter, one of which dates back to 2015, will next be heard on October 8.
Published – August 14, 2025 12:56 am IST
