New Delhi: Delhi Lieutenant Governor (LG) VK Saxena on Tuesday directed to stall the ongoing demolition drive in South Delhi's Mehrauli and Ladha Sarai villages, Raj Niwas said in a statement.
The decision is said to have given a big relief to hundreds of families, who were under the thumb of the demolition drive. "The decision came after a delegation of residents of these villages met the LG and sought relief from the demolition drive while citing the anomalies in the demarcation of land in these areas, that was carried out by the AAP Government in 2021," Raj Niwas said.
Following this, the LG directed the Vice Chairman, DDA and the local administration to immediately stop the demolition drive and assured the residents that their grievances would be looked into and the anomalies, as pointed out by them, would be examined.
"Having heard the grievances of the residents at length, the LG assured the residents that no injustice will be done to any rightful owner of the land. He said the residents' complaints will be thoroughly examined and if any misdeed on part of any official was found, strict action will be taken against the erring officials," Raj Niwas' statement added.
Majda, 47, collects her belongings in an open space near her house marked for demolition under the ongoing anti-encroachment drive in the Mehrauli Archaeological Park area as her two children help her in the process while she contemplates an uncertain future for the family. Sabina, 30, from Ladha Sarai village says house rents have surged ever since bulldozers started razing houses in the area and that her family is finding it extremely difficult to find another place to live.
Naseem Hussain, 15, alleges there was no communication from officials regarding the drive and that eviction notices were sent by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) only a few days ago. The demolition drive, which began on February 10, has jolted the lives of residents of the area. The drive comes a month ahead of a proposed G20 meeting at the park in south Delhi. According to the DDA, the old park has about 55 monuments under the protection of the Archaeological Survey of India, state archeological department and the urban body.
Majda, a widow, works as a domestic help in Ladha Sarai. She says she had to ask for two-day leave after she got to know about the eviction drive. "I do not know how to manage the situation," she says. Majda, who manages her home alone after she lost her husband nine years ago, says they were served the eviction notice on December 12.
"They served the notice on December 12. We are poor people, it is difficult for us to find places to live on such short notice. The ones we found are expensive and not within our budget," she adds. Panic and tension gripped a section of the locals of Ladha Sarai village as JCBs entered the area on Tuesday and began demolishing the structures in the area. Locals, who had received eviction notices, went into a huddle to vacate their houses, while some moved their belongings to open spaces.
Mohammad Amir (45) says around 40 to 50 families lived in the area where demolition is slated to take place. Security in the area of demolition has been beefed up, with a large number of police and CAPF personnel deployed at the spot. Barricades are also put up around the area. Another local at Ladha Sarai village, Sabina tells PTI, "We knew that our houses will be demolished, but we are helpless. Two months is a very short notice for poor people like us to find new accommodation. We work as domestic helps and take three leaves a month. How is it possible to find and move to a new place in such short time? Even the rents have surged after the demolition drive began".
The drive continued for the fifth consecutive day on Tuesday. On Monday, action was taken in the area located near the Bhool Bhulaiyaa monument, a senior DDA official had earlier said. Naseem Hussain says, "There was no verbal communication from the officials. We got the eviction notice over the phone a few days ago. Our entire house was razed." Pointing at one of the walls that was numbered and marked with yellow paint, another resident Qamil says DDA officials had visited the area two months ago and marked the area to be demolished with yellow paint. "Around four to five officials had visited the area, but many residents were not informed verbally about the demolition. They had said that structures behind St. John's School and Hanuman temple will be demolished," he said.
Earlier, a demolition order dated December 12, 2022, was pasted on walls of structures along with markings. It had directed to "encroachers to remove all the unauthorised construction from the land in question within 10 days" and said that the land on which the demolition is being carried out is part of the Mehrauli Archaeological Park and the "existing unauthorised encroachment is acting as a hindrance to the development of the Mehrauli Archaeological Park". (With Agency Inputs)
