NEW DELHI: Residents of Budhela village in Vikaspuri have claimed that despite mounting RTI queries, the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) has not respondent on the status of a pond which was ‘wrongly’ filled up with sand and sold to Sahitya Kala Parishad without their consent.
“In 2002, the DDA had accepted that the land in question used to be a pond. However, it hasn’t disclosed the khasra number (land record providing details of ownership and land use of the site in question),” said Paras Tyagi, a public policy researcher and resident of the village.
Tyagi, along with other villagers, have fighting for more than two years to retain the piece of land. “An NGT report from 2012 clearly states that the pond in Budhela has no water and is only surrounded by a wall. It said that apart from a temple, the rest of the plot had been allotted to Sahitya Kala Parishad. At the time, the court’s commissioner had asked the DDA to provide the allotment papers to the court committee. However, the DDA has not presented the details,” said Tyagi.
Earlier this month, the residents wrote to DDA vice-chairperson Tarun Kapoor, urging his intervention.
“Any construction on this site would amount to violation of the Environmental Protection Act 1986,” Tyagi noted.
Former Congress MLA from Vikaspuri, Mukesh Sharma said he took the initiative to have the DDA allot the plot to the Delhi State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation for building an amphitheatre and art gallery. However, the project couldn’t be implemented as the constituency was divided and then he lost the election.