The Supreme Court has held the Delhi Development Authority cannot get away with the commercial exploitation of land acquired for green belt development.

It has directed the DDA to pay 50 per cent of the land value to original owners in case it is used for commericial purposes.

The apex court held the land acquired for green belt development from the industries can be used only for community purpose such as for opening of green belt, park, playground or open lung space and the civic agency should maintain a 'Trust Account' of such surrendered land.

"This would mean that DDA, which holds the surrendered and dedicated land in Trust, cannot use it for any purpose other than as green belt or other spaces for the benefit of the community," a three-judge bench of Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan and Justices R V Raveendran and J M Panchal said in a judgement.

The apex court passed the judgement while dealing with a PIL filed by several aggrieved industries whose land was acquired by DDA in 1996 for development of green belt area in pursuant of an apex court direction to polluting industries.

The court's direction came over a plea of Siel Foods and Fertilisers Industries which contended that out of 18.854 hectare land surrendered by it, DDA had transferred nine hectares of land to Delhi Metro Rail Corporation on premium of Rs 1.5 crore.