In Old Delhi, antiencroachment drive targets more than 100 units Action against construction in unauthorised colonies in 2 weeks
DEMOLISHED Two teams, with the help of heavy machinery, carry out drive in Naya Bazar, Khari Baoli
NEWDELHI: A North Delhi Municipal Corporation’s squad, accompanied by several trucks and heavy machinery, targeted more than 100 establishments for encroaching on government land at Khari Baoli and Naya Bazar in Old Delhi on Monday.
The North Corporation’s drive started from Church Mission Road, Fatehpuri Masjid, at 11am and the municipal staff removed encroachments on both sides of street till the Lahori Gate-naya Bazaar intersection. It continued till 5.30pm, officials said.
The action was taken on the direction of the Special Task Force (STF) constituted by the Union ministry of housing and urban affairs to remove encroachment from public land.
“Two teams were pressed into service to carry out the drive in Naya Bazar and Khari Baoli area. The idea was to target violators in large numbers. The two teams seized goods and demolished temporary structures like extended staircases, temporary sheds and water tanks that had been raised on the road side. Heavy machines were also used to pull down encroachments,” said an official from North Corporation’s licensing department.
“We also engaged four trucks to take the seized goods. We managed successfully clear 2,600 square metres in Khari Baoli and Naya Bazar,” said the official.
However, hawkers and shop owners in Khari Baoli said as soon as the information about the drive spread in the area, the encroachment managed to flee before the municipal corporation’s team arrived.
“The main reason for chaos in area is the presence of a large number of hawkers. They encroach upon the footpaths and leave no space for pedestrians to walk. But whenever the anti-encroachment drive is being carried in area, they manage to flee,” said Sanjay Bhargava, general secretary of Chandni Chowk Sarv Vyapar Mandal.
“The MCD and the police are usually aware about the situation but take no action on day-to-day basis,” he said.
Even the Sc-appointed monitoring committee, in a report submitted to the court on April 16, had said that the STF which is meant to enforce and monitor encroachments, unauthorised constructions, has the same members who were responsible for implementing existing laws.
“They have not done their job properly and thus it would be better to form neutral agency other than the one charged with the respective task, to examine and bring out the deficiencies and malpractice to notice,” the report submitted to the apex court said.
Contrary to the claims of the North Corporation officials that the drive ended traffic congestion in Khari Baoli and Naya Bazar, the areas largely appeared unchanged after the anti-encroachment drive as several push-carts, mini-trucks carrying goods came back as soon as the civic squads left the spot.
“Unlike previous encroachment drives, this one was really big considering the civic officials demolished constructions as well. But I don’t think that the drive is going to bring down the chaos in area,” said Naved Ali, a shop owner in Khari Baoli. NEWDELHI: Officials from the building departments of Delhi’s municipal corporations are likely to start action against the ongoing constructions in unauthorised colonies from the middle of May. A senior SDMC official said that in the next two weeks, the building departments would focus on removing the encroachments from the public land.
“The teams have been formed in all zones and plan has been chalked out for removing the encroachment from major roads because we have to submit the compliance report i n the Supreme Court by May 15. After that only we will concentrate on unauthorised colonies,” said the official.
The building department of municipal corporations, along with other agencies, will primarily focus on ongoing construction in these areas.
“Although the Special Provision Act provides protection to all unauthorised construction till June 1, 2014, it won’t be easy to identify them in such a limited period of time. That is why we have decided to primarily focus on unauthorised constructions happening in area,” said official from the North Delhi Municipal Corporation.
The Supreme Court on April 25 ordered to top all construction in about 1,797 unauthorised colonies of Delhi in addition to asking the Centre to report on action taken to remove encroachments from public spaces and streets within two weeks.