Local residents of Shaheen Bagh in the national capital protested as bulldozers rolled into the area for an anti-encroachment drive conducted by the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC). Locals were seen sitting on the roads and stopping the bulldozers as the demolition drive began with assistance provided by Delhi Police. “We have gathered here to stop the bulldozers. If the government is talking about encroachment, were they not able to see the encroachment for 15 years? Why were the MCD and government sleeping for so long? Now when the MCD tenure is ending on 18 May, they recall that there is encroachment,” said a social worker.
Meanwhile, the chairman of the SDMC central zone on Monday said that bulldozers will be running in the New Friends Colony on Tuesday from 11 am. Rajpal Singh, Chairman, Central Zone, SDMC said, “The municipal corporation has a roadmap ready for the next 15 days. Bulldozers will run in New Friends Colony tomorrow from 11 am. Encroachment will be removed from Delhi without making any distinction between poor and rich.”
“There have been more encroachment in Shaheen Bagh area as there are no BJP MLAs and councillors. In Shaheen Bagh area, around 50% people themselves removed encroachments. The municipal corporation will remove the remaining encroachments. The former MLA and the current MLA have also done encroachment. Municipal Corporation will remove these encroachments too,” said Singh. He said the expenses incurred by SDMC to remove the encroachment will be compensated by the property owners.
“After the review meeting, the bulldozer will roll on again to remove illegal encroachment in Shaheen Bagh. The municipal corporation will take legal action against those obstructing the removal of encroachment,” he added.
Amid the anti-encroachment drive in Shaheen Bagh, Aam Aadmi Party MLA Amanatullah Khan joined the locals in their protest against the move of the SDMC. Khan said that the people of the area had already removed the encroachments at his request. “Wazu Khana and toilets outside a mosque here were removed in the presence of police, earlier. When there are no encroachments, why have they come here? Just to do politics?” the AAP MLA said. Khan further alleged that the MCD is carrying out the drive to “disturb the atmosphere”. “When I removed all the encroachments, then the MCD has come to disturb the atmosphere. Why else have they come? If there is any encroachment in my constituency, tell me, I will remove it,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court on Monday refused to entertain the Communist Party of India (Marxist) plea against the demolition of buildings in South Delhi, including the Shaheen Bagh area. A bench of justice L. Nageswara Rao and B.R. Gavai asked why the CPI(M) was filing this petition. Thereafter, the petitioner sought to withdraw the petition and urged the court to grant liberty to the petitioner to approach the concerned High Court with his grievances. The Supreme Court granted liberty to the petitioner to approach High Court with his grievance and “dismissed the petition as withdrawn.”
Senior advocate P.V. Surendranath, appearing for the petitioner, tried to convince the top Court and said that it is in the public interest and not the party’s interest. But the court said that it cannot interfere in the matter at the behest of a political party as this is not the platform.
SC said that if someone is aggrieved, they must come before it. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said that facts are being misrepresented as this is a process which has been going on for a long, routine exercise after serving notice. The SC also remarked that it is not seized of all encroachment matters and while hearing matters relating to the Jahangirpuri issue, it had clarified that it can’t pass orders against all encroachments. “We have to strike a balance,” the top court said. Solicitor General also apprised the Court that the authorities concerned are following the Delhi HC order itself. The court also said that it has not given licence to anybody to come here to say their house cannot be demolished even if it is unauthorized. “You cannot take shelter of that order,” the Court said.