This story is from April 13, 2018

Delhi: Jhuggis removed to free up areas around Mehrauli park

A massive drive was carried out in and around Mehrauli Archaeological Park on Thursday to remove encroachments of public land by jhuggi clusters, nurseries and religious/community trusts.
Delhi: Jhuggis removed to free up areas around Mehrauli park
NEW DELHI: A massive drive was carried out in and around Mehrauli Archaeological Park on Thursday to remove encroachments of public land by jhuggi clusters, nurseries and religious/community trusts.
Following the directions of the Supreme Court-appointed monitoring committee, the Delhi government's southwest district authorities and teams of DDA officials carried out the drive in villages such as Ladda Sarai and Lado Sarai.

With blaring loudspeakers in hand, they kept asking people not to interfere in the process as four earthmovers and dozens of hammer-wielding workers reduced hundreds of shanties and semi-permanent structures into rubble. Due to heavy police deployment, the drive was conducted smoothly with no resistance from the people. Residents said around a thousand people had become homeless. Dulari (55), who stood helplessly with her belongings next to the debris, said this had been her home for the past three decades. "All my children were born here. I have all the documents like ration card, Aadhaar that mention this as my address. Where will I take my family now?"
Many of the residents who were senior citizens living alone in these jhuggis claimed they were given the place by Bharat Sewak Samaj Trust. "I live here alone and remain busy by mostly praying in a makeshift temple. This is a trust property and most of the people here are poor and marginalised," said Santosh Badana in between her sobs. Many other residents also claimed they had been living on this trust land for the past three-four decades. All religious structures were spared during the drive.
Many big and small nurseries located along the road from the Chhararpur village border to Ladda Sarai Chowk were also cleared. Ganga Prasad Pal, owner of Northern Nursery, complained that hundreds of his plants were stolen in the ensuing commotion.
Ravi Shankar, another nursery owner, cited some documents to back his claim that the land belonged to a trust. “Nobody is listening to us or checking our documents. We have even won a case on this land in the Supreme Court. Officials just say we will have to approach the monitoring committee for redressal,” he said.

Officials said many nurseries near Lado Sarai, encroachments by Bharat Sewak Samaj, jhuggis, encroachments near Qutub Minar metro station, Lado Sarai Chowk and constructions inside the Ashoka mission were removed. “Notices to all residents and owners were served on March 23 and repeated announcements had been made since then, giving them enough time to shift,” an official added.
Refuting the claim of the land being private, a government official said, “These people could not show any demarcation, fencing or boundary to back their claims. As per the government records, this is public land.” Bharat Sewak Samaj can approach the revenue department if it has any claim over it, he added.
The south district revenue department, district disaster management authority and the BSES discom were part of the drive.
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