Only provisional safety certificates with Kotla stadium – RTI reply
12 Jan, 2013In April 2005, the erstwhile Municipal Corporation of Delhi had given special permission to the Firoz Shah Kotla Stadium to hold a one day international match on April 17, 2005, without the mandatory completion-cum-occupancy certificate. The stadium has a capacity of 45,000.
Now, an application was filed with the North Delhi Municipal Corporation under the Right to Information (RTI) Act seeking the details about the safety provisions of the Firoz Shah Kotla stadium. The applicant wanted to know whether any final 'completion-cum-occupancy' certificate was given later to the stadium and also the information related to structural stability, clearance from fire department, etc.
The reply from the corporation has revealed that the stadium still has only the provisional certificates for structural stability and fire safety clearances as well as the completion-cum-occupancy certificate endangering the lives of thousands of people. In cases involving life and liberty, the reply has to be provided within 48 hours. The Central Information Commission (CIC) has asked the PIO of North Delhi MC to appear before it for not replying to the RTI application within 48 hours.