Delhi anti-encroachment drive: AAP government seeks report from MCD on bulldozer use

“Delhi Government has asked all three MCDs to submit a report and data from April 1 till date on running bulldozers and number of drives conducted in the national capital,” a source said.

Recently, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal held a meeting with all Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLAs to discuss the ‘bulldozer drive’ being conducted across the city by the BJP-led MCD.

After the meeting, the chief minister called out the BJP for playing “dirty politics” by snatching away the homes of millions of people and making them homeless. “The BJP is scripting the biggest catastrophe ever seen in Indian history by bulldozing the homes and shops of 63 lakh Delhiites. Fifty lakh Delhiites live in unauthorised colonies, 10 lakh in slum and JJ clusters and 3 lakh notices have been given to properties situated on DDA (Delhi Development Authority) land,” Arvind Kejriwal had told reporters earlier.

He said that if the demolition drive continued, 80 per cent of Delhi will become homeless.

The CM also added that the BJP’s term in the MCD ends on May 18. “Does the BJP even have the constitutional power and merit to take out such a big drive? This is not fair — get the MCD elections done — whoever forms the new MCD government should take a call on this matter,” he had said.

“The BJP’s bulldozer politics, its flagrant misuse of power and its incessant ‘dadagiri’ and hooliganism will no longer be tolerated,” Arvind Kejriwal had said.

The anti-encroachment drive in the national capital began with the demolition of unauthorised structures at Northwest Delhi’s Jahangirpuri, a week after communal violence had broken out in the area. Since then, MCD has conducted several demolition drives across the city, in Jamia Nagar, Okhla, Defence Colony, Vasant Kunj etc.