NEW DELHI: The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) has initiated the process to take control of the approximate 500-year-old octagonal domed tomb, Gumti of Shaikh Ali, located next to the Defence Colony market in the national capital. The ancient edifice from the Lodi era (1451-1526) has been under the ‘unauthorized occupation’ of the local Residents’ Welfare Association.
In a recent notice to the local residents’ association, the Land and Development Office (L&DO) of the ministry asked the Defence Colony Welfare Association to remove fixtures and valuable items from the premises and to ‘hand over the unauthorized occupied possession’ to the department.
“This structure was never allotted to anyone or any organization by this office. The said ‘Gumti’ has been under unauthorized occupation by the Defence Colony Welfare Association. Therefore, it has been decided to take over the possession of the Gumti,” the ministry notice read.
Although the notice mentioned April 30 as the date for taking over the heritage structure, the L&DO is yet to assume its possession.
Communication on our part with the Land and Development Officer, Suvasish Das, to seek his response pertaining to the matter has remained unanswered.
In Maulvi Zafar Hasan’s 1916 list of Delhi’s monuments, the Gumti is described as a tomb with two unknown, ruined graves. He was an Assistant Superintendent with the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).
Supreme Court lawyer and resident of Defence Colony, Rajeev Suri, along with others, has been campaigning for the protection and restoration of the historical site located in the heart of South Delhi for years.
The site in question has been under the control of Defence Colony Welfare Association since the 1960s and presently serves as the office of the local residents’ body. Suri moved the Supreme Court in February 2019 after the ASI contended that the Gumti has been altered by residents over time and has lost its originality.
During the hearing last month in the apex court, Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati apprised the bench that the structure was never allotted to the DCWA, and the possibility of reclaiming the property was also under consideration. The next hearing is scheduled for August 6.
No office-bearer of the DCWA was available for comment. However, residents privy to the matter said that the association is in touch with L&DO and has sought some time to respond to the notice