Nearly 500 houses in Rangpuri Pahadi near Vasant Kunj were demolished on Tuesday for being illegally constructed on land belonging to the forest department. About 3,000 people have been left out in the cold.
Consisting mostly of people who do odd jobs, the residents of the Israil Camp had constructed single-storey buildings on the forest land several years ago. Though many of them did not deny that they were aware of their illegally stay in that area, the residents alleged they were not served any notice prior to the demolition. Some others believed their stay on the land was not illegal and produced electricity bills, Aadhar cards and other identity proofs containing the Israil Camp address.
“look at our electricity metres and water pipelines. Why were we given these connections if we were living illegally,” said Sunita Yadav, a resident. The forest department, accompanied by a team of local police, had arrived with bulldozers on Tuesday afternoon and brought down the illegal buildings one after the other. A representative of the affected residents on Wednesday, accompanied Congress leader Sajjan Kumar and ex-MlA from the area Vijay lochav, to meet lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung.
later addressing a Press conference, the Delhi Congress on Wednesay attacked the BJP, saying it was behind the move to raze down the clusters. According to Congress leaders, several jhuggis were recently demolished by the Forest department at Rangpuri hills of Vasant Kunj area of South Delhi.
“On the behest of the BJP, forest department demolished these jhuggis, which have been in existence for the last 25 years. On one hand, the BJP talks about regularising unauthorised colonies and giving relief to the jhuggi dwellers, but on the other hand, JJ clusters were being razed down in the national Capital,” DPCC chief spokesperson Mukesh Sharma said.
Slamming BJP over the issue, Sharma also said, “Whenever the saffron party comes to power in Delhi, the poor people are targeted as they become victims of displacement.” The party threatened that if the jhuggi dwellers were removed without giving them alternate plots, the party would not shy away from launching a series of agitations in the national Capital. Meanwhile, former Congress MP Sajjan Kumar along with scores of jhuggi dwellers has staged a demonstration outside the Raj Niwas.
“If the jhuggi dwellers were not allowed to stay in their present location, then lakhs of jhuggi dwellers would gherao the BJP leaders in their homes, for which the Delhi Administration would be fully responsible,” he said.