Gurugram shanties gutted in fire were rented out, erected illegally on Huda land

GURUGRAM: Late night on Saturday, an FIR was registered at Sector 50 police station, based on the complaint by a Huda official, that the illegal shanties in Sector 49 that had caught fire and burnt down in the morning of April 21, had been erected on land which belonged to Huda. Police said they suspect a man from Badshapur had illegally got the slum built and was collecting rent from the tenants, though no one was named in the FIR.
Senior district administration officials said on Saturday that a man named Roshan Lal Panjabi had encroached upon the land, built the shanties and put them out on rent. Police though said they haven’t yet identified the perpetrator. “We’re still probing the complaint and no one has been identified,” said ASI Chandgi Ram, the investigating officer.

The complaint filed by Huda patwari Vinod says the plot in Sector 49 (killa number 22/21/1) is Huda land and the settlement which caught fire was illegal. When informed, they had visited the site and checked records. The land on which the slum was built, and the land surrounding it, are all under dispute, with a stay order from court on the latter, Huda officials told police. They also said “some man” from Badshapur had put the shanties out on rent. According to officials, the area covered by the 200-odd shanties is around 1,500 sq yd, with some still standing after the fire.

During the visit by TOI, it was found that the slum was powered with electricity cables, with some families also owning appliances drawing high power without necessary safety measures. While the cause of the fire is believed to be a cylinder blast, some slum dwellers said they had heard sparks from electric cables in the morning. The investigating cops denied the possibility of arson.

Police said they will go through records to identify the man who had set up the shanties and arrest him at the earliest. When asked if Panjabi had encroached upon the land and was illegally collecting rent, they didn’t deny it.

The FIR was registered against ‘an unknown person’ under sections 336 (endangering life and safety of others), 384 (extortion) and 447 (criminal trespass) of the IPC.

At around 10 am on Saturday, a shanty in the middle of the slum in Sector 49 had caught fire, which burnt down 150-odd of the neighbouring shanties in no time. While no casualty was reported, migrant workers who used to pay rent and live in them lost their belongings, including identification documents and other valuables.

A slum dweller had told TOI the collector acquired Rs 1,500-1,700 per month from each shanty, with additional charge for electricity.

On Sunday, the district administration put in some effort to rehabilitate the over 500 people who have been rendered homeless by the fire. Several residents of nearby societies also pitched in to help. The district administration has set up temporary tents in the neighbourhood government primary school, though the affected slum dwellers expressed apprehension they will be evicted when the school opens on Monday, without any other place to go to. “We’ve lost all our savings. We’ll have to live on the road if we’re thrown out,” said Moushumi (23), a slum dweller.