The Delhi High Court has sought to know from the Delhi government whether public properties such as community centres, exhibition halls and stadia had also been taken over after a private company that runs a banquet hall in the city had approached court, challenging the government’s decision for requisition of the premises to be converted into an extended Covid hospital.
The company said it had bookings for marriages. Challenging the government decision, it had contended that by the June 12 order, the district authority has requisitioned the banquet hall under provisions of the Disaster Management Act (DMA) for being converted into an extended Covid hospital and claimed that the order was contrary to the law and liable to be quashed.
On Wednesday, opposing the plea, additional standing counsel of the Delhi government, Satyakam, told the court that the government had the power to identify which facilities were suitable and effective for being converted into a Covid facility.
During the hearing, the Delhi government counsel told the court that the powers of the government under the DMA are quite broad under which any resources, premises or building belonging to any authority or person can be requisitioned by the government.
He submitted that the banquet halls had been taken over and were going to be attached as Covid facilities attached with hospitals, in view of the lack of space due to the outbreak of the pandemic and many such premises had been requisitioned by the government.
However, he submitted that he was willing to file a list of all the properties in the North-West Delhi region that had been requisitioned by the sub-divisional Magistrate for conversion to Covid facilities.
The court asked the government counsel to file the list and posted the matter for further hearing on June 24.
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