Delhi HC did the right thing by ordering demolition of encroachments at the Tughlaqabad Fort area in Delhi

Forceful eviction of anyone from their homes is always painful and humiliating—even for top politicians who overstay in the bungalows allotted to them in Lutyens’ Delhi. Household items strewn on the road do evoke compassion; they also make good photographs which appear prominently in newspapers. And when the evicted are poor people, the visuals are even more poignant. Like those of the demolition drive by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) at the Tughlaqabad Fort area in Delhi a few days ago. Poor residents talking to news reports in despair, many of them rummaging through the remains of their razed houses. They demand rehabilitation and assistance from government. Many angry residents angrily told the media that local politicians and their aides fooled them; some of them also told a news channel of having bribed the local cops. If there was any wrongdoing involved in building houses in the area under the ASI’s jurisdiction, they say that the local authorities and policepersons were equally guilty. So why is it that only we are being punished, they ask. We built our homes with our meager savings, and now we are on the road, they lament. Some of the affected residents are also angry that while their houses were being demolished, new multi-storey structures were coming up nearby. The law, in their eyes, seems to be not just discriminatory but also arbitrary and capricious. We can sympathise with these people but it is hard to accept their arguments. They did violate the law, and got their just deserts. The Delhi High Court did the right thing by ordering demolition. It is unfortunate though that no government is likely to initiate action against the guilty local officials and cops.

Meanwhile the ASI is now reportedly contemplating a 3km-long, 6-8-foot-high boundary wall with concertina wire atop to precluded encroachment in the future. This is a case of too little too late. It is a well-known fact that a lot of historical monuments in Delhi and elsewhere have been encroached upon—and the problem seems to be growing. In 2019, the government informed the Rajya Sabha that there were 321 protected monuments facing encroachments. In 2022, the number went up to 356. As many as 75 protected monument sites have been trespassed in Uttar Pradesh; this is closely followed by Tamil Nadu with 74, Minister of Tourism and Culture G Kishan Reddy told the Rajya Sabha in December last year. UP also has the largest number of Centrally protected monuments in the country at 743, again followed by Tamil Nadu with 412. Since bulldozers are roaming in Yogi Adityanath’s UP, demolishing illegal constructions, especially by mafia dons, it is time that some of them visited the shanties in the above-mentioned 75 monuments. Other states should do the same. Encroachers and land sharks have ruined our cities and towns; we shouldn’t let them destroy our heritage as well.