Wall built near Sector 22 to restrict workers from crossing border razed

Gurgaon: MCG on Tuesday demolished one of the two walls it had built last month across a shortcut between Delhi’s Salapur Khera village and Palam Vihar in Gurgaon that village residents used to cross over. The two walls were built following a clash between the Delhi residents employed in various factories in Udyog Vihar area and the Gurgaon police over cross-border movement restrictions.
While one wall was constructed on the outskirts of Salapur Khera village on the Delhi-Gurgaon border, the other was erected at a check point few hundred meters away, both at the request of the Gurgaon police. “The one at the check point was obstructing access to private plots in the area. So the MCG has demolished it,” local MCG councillor Ravinder Yadav said.
Salapur Khera is part of Delhi’s administrative territory, but people here make a living working in various factories in Gurgaon’s Udyog Vihar area and in domestic households in sectors 21 and 22. On May 20, facing restrictions at the border for weeks, over 1,000 village residents clashed with cops. Many in the crowd had pelted stones on the cops, injuring at least six policemen.
However, Gurgaon residents have voiced strong objection to the move. Chiranjiv Singh, president of Sector 21E Block RWA, said, “We hope the authorities will take appropriate action and prevent illegal movement of people into Gurgaon, which is also a security issue for the sectors near the border.”
When contacted, ACP (Udyog Vihar) Biram Singh, however, said it was MCG’s call. “The wall at the check point has been demolished by MCG, but the other is still intact,” he said.