NEW DELHI: Wakeel Hassan, a rat-hole miner who had played a crucial role in the rescue of 41 workers trapped in the Silkyara tunnel in Uttarakhand last year, on Friday threatened to go on hunger strike if his demolished house is not reconstructed on the same land.
Hassan’s house in north-east Delhi’s Khajoori Khas locality was razed in a demolition drive conducted by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) on Wednesday.
After refusing the DDA’s offer to move to a flat in Narela, he spent another night with his family on the footpath beside the rubble of his demolished home. “I have been on the road for two days now and I have no plans to go anywhere else. The DDA has offered me a flat in Narela but since that area is crime-prone, I have refused to accept their offer,” Hassan said.
“If anything happens to my kids, the government will not take responsibility. Therefore, I have decided to remain right here where I have my roots. If my house is not rebuilt here, I’ll go on hunger strike.”
Despite promises made by L-G VK Saxena and BJP MP Manoj Tiwari for fair compensation for his house, Hassan said that no public figure has approached him personally. “They are only making comments online; no one has contacted me so far,” he said.
He said his neighbours have been providing his family with food and other essential items. Hassan claimed that his house was demolished without a prior notice. The DDA, however, said that he was aware of his house’s “status of encroachment” as it had been removed in 2016 before the land was encroached upon again in 2017.