Manoj Gupta vs Govt. Of NCT Of Delhi

Grievance in this application is against violation of environmental norms by Sanjay Gupta and Vasu Gupta at 703, Shanti Swaroop Tyagi Marg, Opposite Baba Colony, Burari, New Delhi – 110084. The violations alleged are as follows:

“FIRE SAFETY HAZARD

The banquet is not made in compliance with Fire Safety Norms and the management does not even have a Fire Safety Certificate.

The entire premises is made up of highly flammable materials and furthermore has a lack of Fire Exits.

There is highly insufficient Fire Extinguishing Equipment at this venue.

Furthermore, it has been observed that during the functions various electric cables are laid along the ground without proper insulation which is especially dangerous during the rainy season. Such negligence can be the cause of a disastrous fire eruption at the venue.

In an unfortunate event of a fire accident, there is a threat to 500-1000 guests which the venue caters at a given wedding Saya date.

TRAFFIC HAZARD

Due to the high number of attendees at the venue, a bottleneck is created in front of the wedding lawn on the 100Ft Burari Main Road.

Moreover, at the time of the entry of the Baraat, the entire road is blocked for hours, leaving little to no space for vehicles to pass.

Such negligence by the traffic department is a great cause for concern as other than causing great inconvenience to residents and passers-by, it is a great hindrance to the ambulances passing through the road to reach the Burari Hospital for which every minute, if not seconds, is critical. It is beyond our understanding how such lapse of traffic management is being allowed within a 1 km radius of a big Government Hospital.

POLLUTION HAZARD

The banquet is causing several types of pollution in the Burari Village.

There are several unregulated diesel electricity generators installed at the venue which cause a lot of air pollution at the time of an ongoing function.

There is a lot of woodfire/tandoor/chulha pollution caused due to an unplanned and unmanaged kitchen.

There is no solid waste management system installed at the venue, all solid waste is thrown around in the vacant plots of Burari the morning after the function.

There is no effluent treatment plant (ETP) 'installed at the premises. All the waste water is drained into the ground thereby polluting the ground water.

Due to unregulated music being played beyond the permissible hours, the venue also disturbs the neighbourhood within the 500mtr radius.

They have installed 2 submersible pumps at the venue which are contrary to the government Ground Water protection policy.

BUILDING HAZARD

The venue is being operated at unauthorised and illegal buildings and sheds constructed at the property.

There are no necessary municipal licenses and the authorities fail to produce them when asked.

Moreover, the banquet is constructed in a more than 40-year-old dilapidated building which is prone to being collapsed and is against the Disaster Management Policy.

In the case of a building collapse disaster or natural disasters like earthquakes the building is at high risk of being collapsed, thereby, putting the lives of over 500 civilians at risk.

FOOD SAFETY HAZARD

Food is prepared in an unhygienic way which degrades the quality of the food being served.

The kitchen conditions are highly unsanitary. The preparation utensils aren't washed for days, and the most shocking part is that the kitchen is situated right next to the washroom. The kitchen and the food serving area are entirely swarmed with flies.

The kitchen staff do not follow proper kitchen habits, they do not wash hands before preparation of the food or after attending the washroom. The entire staff lacks basic sanitary habits.

Food is often prepared in bulk and used over multiple functions for up to a week until the food starts to smell unbearably bad.

Adulterated and substandard ingredients are used for the preparation of food.

No proper food disposal and cleanliness maintained.”

In view of above, let a joint Committee of DPCC and Deputy Commissioner, North look into the matter and take remedial action, following due process of law. DPCC will be the nodal agency for coordination and compliance.

The application is disposed of.

A copy of this order, alongwith copy of the letter, be forwarded to DPCC and Deputy Commissioner, North by e-mail for compliance.