Government opposes residential construction near Rashtrapati Bhavan

A bid by one of the subsidiary companies of DLF to develop a residential property on a plot of land near Rashtrapati Bhavan has been opposed by the union government. The government cited security concerns as a reason to oppose the move of the developer. The union government has already filed an affidavit in the Delhi high court in which it has categorically stated that the central government has objection to the project because of security and aesthetic reasons. It pleaded with the court to cancel the permission which was granted by a single judge. The single judge had given permission to the subsidiary company of DLF to utilize the plot which is a dairy land for developing a residential project.

Advocate Arjun Harkauli who filed the affidavit on behalf of the government contended before the division bench that if a high-rise comes up in that area it will threaten the security of Rashtrapati Bhavan.

The government made it clear that it took this step after getting necessary feedback on the matter from the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC), the home ministry as well as the President’s secretariat. The government affidavit named Edward Keventer Successors Private Ltd (EKSPL) as a subsidiary of DLF.