DDA considering plea on alternative site for Appu Ghar, SC told

New Delhi (PTI): Appu Ghar, an amusement park in the Capital which was closed last month, may make a comeback with a new address.
The DDA on Thursday informed the Supreme Court that an application filed by the amusement park authorities for an alternative site was under consideration.
Senior advocate Arun Jaitley, appearing for International Amusement Park Limited (IAPL) which ran the Appu Ghar, told a Bench headed by Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan that DDA was yet to respond to the application for providing a new site for the amusement park.
The counsel appearing for DDA said the application was under consideration.
The apex court, which on February 19, had asked the owners of the popular amusement park to hand over its leased land to the Court and Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), agreed to a suggestion to defer the hearing on the matter till third week of April.
The apex court had asked the Centre to file an affidavit on the possibility of providing alternative site to the IAPL.
Senior advocate P H Parekh, appearing for Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA), submitted that the court had clarified that the issue of alternative site would not come in the way of handing over the possession of the land.
Additional Solicitor General Gopal Subramanium said that some payment was pending against the owners of the amusement park with India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO) which could be settled by sitting across the table.
The Centre had earlier informed the court that it had already issued a notification on February 7 by which the land had been declared as a government office (plot) and it ceased to be a recreational place.
THE HINDU; Thursday, March 27, 2008