‘Injustice in Mehrauli’, AAP slams DDA

The AAP and DDA member Somnath Bharti said that despite the Kejriwal government cancelling the demarcation order, the BJP-ruled DDA and L-G are bulldozing the homes of Delhi people.
People gather at the demolition site during an anti-encroachment drive by Delhi Development Authority at Mehrauli in New Delhi on Monday. (Photo | Shekhar yadav)
People gather at the demolition site during an anti-encroachment drive by Delhi Development Authority at Mehrauli in New Delhi on Monday. (Photo | Shekhar yadav)

NEW DELHI:  Amid the hue and cry over the ongoing demolition drive being carried out by the DDA in Mehrauli, the Aam Aadmi Party on Monday criticised the BJP and the Delhi L-G for not taking steps to provide relief to the affected families.

The AAP and DDA member Somnath Bharti said that despite the Kejriwal government cancelling the demarcation order, the BJP-ruled DDA and L-G are bulldozing the homes of Delhi people. Bharti said that the DDA and the Delhi Police come under the central government’s nominee L-G VK Saxena, and he has submitted a letter to him requesting him to stop the demolition but he refused.

“The L-G said that he will clean up Delhi, meaning thereby will demolish unauthorised colonies including multi-storey buildings and slum areas,” he added. On the orders of CM Arvind Kejriwal, Revenue Minister Kailash Gehlot reviewed the demarcation and termed it wrong, Mehrauli is being vandalised despite the cancellation of the demarcation. It has been clearly stated in the order of the Delhi Government that this demarcation has been done wrongly, if the basis of demolition is wrong, there should be no demolition,” he said.

Another AAP MLA Naresh Yadav said, “Demolition is not being stopped there despite the order of the Revenue Minister. MLA Somnath Bharti and I were arrested for protesting against the drive. Huge injustice is unfolding in Mehrauli. The L-G is saying that he wants to cleanse Delhi. Decades-old houses are being demolished. People who pay house tax are being robbed of their roofs. L-G sir, please don’t do such injustice to the people.”

Bharti further said, “An attempt by the DDA is underway in Mehrauli to make several families homeless. I want to make it clear to the people that in Delhi, the DDA and the Delhi Police are not controlled by the state government, these come under the Central government. The BJP-led Centre controls these two bodies in Delhi under the powers that come within the Lieutenant Governor’s Office.

In the previous eight years, both these agencies have only further misused their powers under this government.” An “anti-encroachment drive” in the Mehrauli Archaeological Park area went on for the fourth consecutive day on Monday, with DDA and police personnel facing protests from many local residents during the exercise.

The drive had begun on Friday and comes a month ahead of a proposed G20 meeting at the park in South Delhi that, according to the DDA, has about 55 monuments under the protection of the archaeological Survey of India, state archeological department and the authority.

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