‘Over 6.3mn at risk from MCD’S bulldozer politics’
NEW DELHI: Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday criticised the anti-encroachment drives launched by the city’s municipal corporations (MCDS), describing them as “bulldozer politics”, warning that the homes and shops of more than 6.3 million will be vulnerable under the parameters being applied, and asked his party MLAS to even prepare to go to jail in order to protect people from the demolition drives.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which Kejriwal leads, is aiming to wrest control of the city’s south, north and east MCDS from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in elections expected later this year or early next year – by then, the civic bodies are expected to be reunified into a single Municipal Corporation of Delhi.
“The BJP’S bulldozer politics, its flagrant misuse of power and its ‘dadagiri’ and hooliganism will no longer be tolerated,” Kejriwal said.
“Over the past few weeks, we have witnessed how recklessly bulldozers are being run over properties by the Bjp-led MCD. It is also being said that this unjustified demolition drive of the BJP’S will continue for months to come. BJP is going to bulldoze the homes and shops of 63 lakh (6.3 million) people in the national capital; it will be biggest destruction since independence. 50 lakh (five million) people live in unauthorised colonies, 10 lakh (one million) in JJ clusters and MCD has earmarked additional 3 lakh (300,000) properties for demolition,” he alleged.
Kejriwal stressed that Delhi has expanded in a largely unplanned way over the last 75 years. “Over 80% of the houses and properties can be termed as illegal or as encroachments. Does that mean more than 80% of Delhi’s constructions will be demolished?” the CM asked.
Hours later, Delhi BJP chief Adesh Gupta and leader of opposition in the Delhi assembly Ramvir Singh Bidhuri responded to Kejriwal’s charges.
“In Delhi, Rohingya, Bangladeshis and rioters will not be spared while the bona fide residents will not be harmed even if they live in unauthorised colonies or slums,” the BJP leaders said in a joint press conference.
Encroachments and illegal constructions have been a persistent problem for the Capital, afflicting some of its poorest as well as the most affluent settlements. The scale of the problem is such that a special task force looking into the issue in 2018 set a target for each of the three corporations to cover 100km in anti-encroachment drives per month.
Civic agencies routinely carry these drives out but in recent weeks, it has been mired in a political controversy, especially since the North MCD’S controversial demolitions in Jahangirpuri on April 20, days after communal clashes in the area.
Opposition parties blamed the BJP, which rules the three municipal corporations, for allegedly targeting a particular community, an allegation the party and the civic bodies have denied.
Last week, AAP legislator Amanatullah Khan was arrested from south-east Delhi’s Madanpur Khadar area after protests broke out and locals clashed with police during a drive planned to bring down illegal encroachments.
On Monday, Kejriwal questioned the way the demolition driver was being carried out. “No timely notices or warnings are being issued before demolition and the teams on ground are not considering papers and documents being produced by people to show their properties are not unauthorised. They are simply rolling down into colonies with bulldozers and demolishing homes and shops as they please.
No documents are being looked at, and the BJP is blindly laying waste to entire colonies this way as part of their so-called bulldozer justice,” said Kejriwal.
The BJP has been accusing the AAP government of promoting encroachments by Bangladeshis and Rohingya, while the AAP accuses the BJP of allowing encroachments by taking bribes.
Kejriwal on Monday said the AAP government is also opposed to illegal settlements and encroachments. “We want Delhi to flourish as a beautiful state. The BJP has been in power in MCD for the past 17 years, in which they enabled illegal encroachments by taking bribes. BJP’S tenure is going to end in MCD on May 18,” he said.
He asked the BJP to face free and fair municipal polls. “Whichever party wins should have the power to take these decisions.”
Delhi BJP chief Gupta said as the bulldozing of encroachments is gaining momentum, Kejriwal and his party are upset because “his dream of facilitating the settlement of Bangladeshis and Rohingya refugees is getting shattered”.
Ensure safety of Kashmiri Pandits: Kejriwal to Centre
Kejriwal on Monday urged the Centre to take steps to ensure the safety of Kashmiri Pandits in the wake of protests by the community after the killing of government employee Rahul Bhat in Budgam last week by terrorists. In a digital briefing the CM also sought immediate suspension of officials behind the use of force against people who protested the murder.