MCG razes 500 structures in Aravali biodiversity park

GURUGRAM: Nearly seven acres of encroached land in the Aravali Biodiversity Park was cleared of illegal occupants by the MCG in a massive demolition drive on Wednesday morning.
A team from the corporation was present in the area to oversee the drive, with approximately 400 police personnel stationed to provide security and protection, alongside ambulances, fire tenders and riot control vehicles. About 500 buildings, including around 400 shanties and 100 permanent structures, were razed in the operation by 15 bulldozers.

It was clear that MCG was expecting resistance from the residents of the jhuggies, and so came well prepared. And the authorities certainly did not want to take any chances, especially after a team from the department of town and country planning came under attack in a recent demolition drive in the city, in which district town planner Mohan Singh was badly injured.

“We did a lot of homework. In fact, in the last one week or so, we were giving notices to the people, telling them this is MCG land, and it is also a very sensitive zone from an ecological point of view. So, we told them you have to vacate the land,” MCG commissioner Yashpal Yadav told TOI.

According to the MCG chief, more than 50 percent of residents had left before Wednesday. “So, there was no resistance, and it was all done in a very clinical manner,” he added. The drive, which began at 8 am, was over by 3 pm.

Over time, outsiders had encroached on the land and built shanties. Warnings and notices were issued several times to the squatters, by the corporation. And, because of the slum, residents of blocks V, T and S of DLF 3 ended up facing plenty of hassles.

One of those residents is Aditya Arya, who owns and runs an intimate photography museum in the area. “It was a massive operation — the whole of DLF 3 was swarming with cops,” he said.

The slum here, said Arya, had been growing steadily in size but the city administration appeared to show little concern. And the increasing population of squatters, he felt, had the potential to snowball into a crisis, one that would have likely further diminished the safety of residents. “Why should 500 hutments come up? People are just settling down wherever they find an inch of space. This problem should have been nipped in the bud earlier — but it’s never too late, and I’m so glad that this is finally happening. Because you don’t want the disease to spread to the point where amputation is required.”

Now that the shanties have been bulldozed, the corporation, added Yadav, has plans of greening and beautifying the seven acres inside the park. Action against the jhuggies may have been overdue but it was decisive, and would have left the colony’s residents hopefully feeling that much safer.