Delhi: Bulldozers roll amid protests by locals 

NEW DELHI: The Municipal Corporation (South) continued its demolition spree, this time in Lodhi Road, Janakpuri, Dwarka and Najafgarh areas. The locals tried to stop the anti-encroachment drive but the bulldozers rolled mowing down illegal structures.

Municipal staff and police personnel faced stiff opposition from shopkeepers and residents, who said that the civic authorities are harassing people in the name of removing encroachment “unnecessarily”.
Meanwhile, East Corporation’s had planned a drive-in Seelampur, an unauthorised area with a sizeable Muslim population, but it did not happen, as the civic body could not get adequate police force. 

“An anti-encroachment drive was planned in the area to remove temporary sheds, kiosks and carts that had come up around the main road. However, we couldn’t get police support for the same. The drive will be rescheduled soon,” said East Corporation mayor Shyam Sundar Aggarwal.  

The action comes under the 10-day action plan of the civic body to remove encroachments from the city, which will go on till May 13. Videos of local residents protesting against the drive were being circulated on social media. Ram Kumar Singh, 49, a shopkeeper in west     Delhi’s Janakpuri said, “Notice should have been given to us. We have been running our businesses here for over 10 years. Why is the civic body suddenly harassing people unnecessarily without giving them any time or notice? These teams would have to go over our dead bodies.”

Chairperson of South civic body West Zone, Shveta Saini said that some of the locals protested in Janakpuri against the drive, but we managed to remove several temporary structures from the area. “Encroachment removal drive was carried out in Meherchand Market in Lodi Road area of Central Zone. The illegally constructed structures were dismantled from the government land. Apart from this, two vehicles were impounded while as many as 25 items were confiscated,” said a senior civic official.
In Najafgarh Zone’s Madhu Vihar area, encroachment was removed from Akash hospital to the area’s bus terminal.

Residents fury over drive
Municipal staff and police personnel faced stiff opposition from residents, who said that the civic authorities are harassing people in the name of removing illegal lands