NEW DELHI: Ishwar Chand is a fourth generation resident of Masjid Moth, a Lal Dora village located in Delhi’s south belt. The 67-year-old has expanded his one-room home by adding two floors for his sons.
“The good part is there is no need of registration, no mapping is required for constructing a house. And this is also the bad part. People have expanded their houses whenever and wherever they got even a little bit of space. A lack of planning has made a mess of this region,” Ishwar said.
According to a 1957 notification, Lal Doras were exempted from the building bylaws and other regulations of the Delhi Municipal Act. In 1963, Delhi’s civic body passed another notification stating no building permission was required for construction in them.
While the previous two Master Plans (of 1962 & 2001) left out the villages, the existing Master Plan Delhi 2021 has laid down norms that say these villages would be governed by special regulations but remain exempt from sealing.
Sandwiched between two posh localities — South Extension and Gulmohar Enclave — Masjid Moth is choked for space. Ramshackle buildings, narrow, clustered, unpaved lanes, low hanging electricity wires, unclean pathways and a monument neglected by the government — these features define this Lal Dora village.
“The area is now dominated by builders and property dealers. Old buildings are being given away to builders, one floor is kept by the land owner while the rest are put up on rent to people mostly from West Bengal or Bihar,” Chand said.
While the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) is at a stone’s throw from the village, there are no municipal or mohalla clinics in the area. There is also no primary school in spite of people living here for more than five decades.
“Because AIIMS or Safdarjung is near, it is assumed that we may not need clinics. Have you seen the crowds at AIIMS? It is impossible to get treated in a short span. Also, doctors there don’t usually check cases such as viral fevers or diarrhoea. So where will we go in such situation?” asked Durga Prasad, a resident.
A few kilometres away from Masjid Moth is Kotla Mubarakpur, which is again bordered with East Kidwani Nagar, South Extension and Defence Colony. Infrastructure wise, this Lal Dora village is a shade better than Masjid Moth, but the lanes are a mess.
“The (South) MCD doesn’t come on time to pick up garbage. The taps run dry in summers. The lanes are dirty and then during monsoon, there is water clogging. Sewage situation is improved but still a lot needs to be done. MCD, MLA and MPs keep on blaming each other when we raise the problems,” said 35-year-old businessman Rakesh Gupta, a resident of Kotla Mubarakpur.
Flaws in planning
Delhi has 362 villages, out of which 135 and 227 are classified as urban and rural villages respectively. As per the Delhi’s Master Plan, plots of over 1,500 sq ft of area are permitted to have multi-storey apartments.
“When the Lal Dora village plan was extended, local residents and DDA authorities sold the plots at low rates and unauthorised colonies settled here. DDAs acquired large swathes of land but they did not bother to ensure security,” said former BJP councilor Jagdish Mamgain.
Many Lal Dora ‘abadis’ (population) enjoy civic facilities such as secure electricity connection, water from the Delhi Jal Board, and sewage.“It is too late now to restructure these villages. When the plans are formed, they should be implemented at the earliest. There is no point in applying a plan chalked out 10 years ago,” Mamgain explained
Expectations higher?
While election fever soars in the city, residents of this village feel there isn’t anything for the politicians to offer them. Pre-poll promises no longer woo 52-year-old Rajkumari, a housewife living in Adhchini.
When asked about what her expectations are, Rajkumari promptly replied: “Jobs. I want my daughter to have a good job, government if possible. She is a B.Com graduate with good marks yet she is unemployed for more than seven months. Getting basic commodities at subsidised rates is fine, but there is no guarantee for the future.”
BJP or AAP?
Though campaigns have already started, the residents claim it’s a difficult call this time. “On one hand, the AAP has no doubt done good work and is still trying to do. On the other, Modi has done well for the country... We cannot expect a PM to visit our houses and check our taps. That job can be expected from the MLA or civic bodies,” Sanjeev Saini, 43, a local businessman.