After Shaheen Bagh, bulldozers roll in New Friends Colony, Mangolpuri
NEW DELHI: Bjp-led municipal corporations on Tuesday carried out anti-encroachment drives in their respective areas, including New Friends Colony, Vasant Kunj, Raghubir Nagar and Mangolpuri, as officials reached the spot with bulldozers along with police personnel and removed illegal temporary structures, hoardings and other articles lying unattended along roadsides and pavements.
These actions were followed by SDMC’S failure to remove encroachment in Shaheen Bagh on Monday. SDMC was not able to conduct their drive at the location of anticaa protests in 2019 due to protests from residents and AAP leader and local MLA Amanatullah Khan. The civic body was only able to remove a few of the illegal encroachments in the area and has promised that they will revisit the area once things calm down.
On Tuesday, they continued their drive in New Friends Colony, Vasant Kunj and Raghubir Nagar area. In the central zone, an anti-encroachment drive was carried out in New Friends Colony in presence of police force. During the drive, illegally constructed structures and boundary walls constructed at government land were demolished. A road stretch measuring 2 kilometres in length was made ‘encroachment free’ by SDMC. In addition to this, as many as 12 sheds were removed while net (jail) works in front of residences were also demolished.
Similarly, during the drive in South Zone’s Vasant Kunj, D-2 & D-2 markets, Church road, Masoodpur road and adjoining areas, SDMC removed nearly 3000 metres of area encroachment free. A total of 49 articles were also seized. In the West Zone, during the drive in Raghubir Nagar illegal structures both; temporary and permanent were demolished. During the drive, a distance of nearly 1000 metres was freed from illegal encroachment. During the drive, 11 articles were seized and one vehicle was impounded. The civic body stated that it is committed to remove illegal encroachments/ structures in its area. Such drives take place on a regular basis and drives take place with the support of the police force.
After SDMC’S drive at New Friends Colony, Aam Aadmi Party MLA from Okhla Amanatullah Khan, who had opposed the anti-encroachment action at Shaheen Bagh, on Tuesday lodged a complaint against “certain municipal officials” for uprooting trees during the drive.
“Uprooting trees at the behest of Mukesh Suryan (SDMC Mayor) and Adesh Gupta (Delhi BJP chief) between Zakir Nagar dhalaan and New Friends Colony of Okhla assembly constituency by MCD without informing PWD is unconstitutional and illegal.
“Today I have lodged a complaint in NFC police station to register FIR against irresponsible people of MCD,” Khan said in a tweet in Hindi.
SDMC officials said antiencroachment drives will continue on Wednesday in Meharchand Market near Lodhi Colony, in areas around JLN Metro station, Arjangarh Metro Station and others.
The North Delhi Municipal Corporation also carried out an anti-encroachment exercise in an area in Mangolpuri on Tuesday.
“A stretch of about 500 metres was cleared of encroachment on streets and pavements in Y block of Mangolpuri. Street vendors and grocery sellers had put up illegal temporary structures which were removed as part of a routine drive,” a senior NDMC official said. “During the drive, EX-MLA of Congress Jaikishan and AAP MLA Mukesh Ahlawat, who tried to disrupt the ongoing drive, were taken under preventive detention. However, both were released after the completion of entire drive,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (outer) Sameer Sharma said.