NEW DELHI: The Land and Development Office (L&DO) demolished several houses and other structures built on Khyber Pass in north Delhi on Sunday.
According to the officials, the construction in the area was illegal as the land belonged to the Ministry of Defence, and the residents were notified about the demolition in advance.
Olympic Bronze medalist in shooting Manu Bhaker’s coach, Samaresh Jung, was among those receiving a demolition notice and asked to vacate his house. Whether his house was bulldozed in Sunday’s drive is not yet known.
Earlier this year, ten petitioners approached the High Court challenging a March 1 notice from the L&DO directing occupants of 32 acres in Khyber Pass to vacate the land by March 4. Despite an interim stay by Justice Subramonium Prasad, the notice was not quashed. The petitioners argued they were lawful occupants, with their families allotted the residences about 70 years ago by the Ministry of Defence.
After Justice Prasad’s decision was upheld by the division bench of Acting Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela on July 29, another group of 22 petitioners challenged the eviction. They withdrew their plea, requesting a two-month grace period to vacate due to the monsoon. Justice Sanjeev Narula granted it, allowing them to vacate by September 30. The original petitioners sought similar relief on Friday, with their case set for August 5.
“My family has been living here for four generations. I had no idea we would be made homeless suddenly,” 72-year-old Khyber Pass resident Bhajan Lal said, whose house came under the bulldozer.
Another resident, Rashmi Gupta, said, “We should have been given more time to vacate our premises. Just a few days are not enough to move belongings gathered over a lifetime. We had no time to arrange for alternative accommodation either. This is a injustice.”
Many residents whose houses were not demolished received notices that demolition would be carried out in the coming days.