A day after the Supreme Court refused to grant a stay on the South Delhi Municipal Corporation’s demolition drive amid huge protests by locals, the civic body has brought in bulldozers in the New Friends Colony area and Mangolpuri to carry out an anti-encroachment drive as scheduled.
#WATCH Bulldozer being brought to New Friends Colony area of Delhi where the South Delhi Municipal Corporation is set to carry out an anti-encroachment drive pic.twitter.com/3PorPPiao3— ANI (@ANI) May 10, 2022
On Monday, hundreds of people, including women, opposed the drive of the BJP-ruled SDMC as bulldozers rolled into Shaheen Bagh in the presence of a huge number of police personnel, even as the civic body team was forced to return without carrying out the exercise.
#WATCH Visuals from Delhi’s Mangolpuri where an anti-encroachment demolition drive by North Delhi Municipal Corporation is taking place pic.twitter.com/a6kUTDghZX— ANI (@ANI) May 10, 2022
AAP MLA Amantullah Khan, who reached the protest site, expressed strong resentment against SDMC’s demolition drive and said he had himself inspected the whole area and spoken to every official, including the traffic police, and all the illegal encroachments were removed 3-4 days back.
Subsequently, the Delhi Police registered an FIR against Khan and his supporters for ‘not allowing’ SDMC officials to carry out the proposed anti-encroachment drive in the Shaheen Bagh.
“The FIR has been registered on the complaint of SDMC under Section 186 (obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions), 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty) and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the Indian Penal Code,” DCP (southeast), Esha Pandey, said.
The SC refused to entertain a plea filed by CPI(M) against the demolition drive by South Delhi Municipal Corporation in Shaheen Bagh here, saying it cannot interfere with the anti-encroachment drive at the instance of a political party. A bench of Justices L Nageswara Rao and B R Gavai asked the party to approach the Delhi High Court.
“Why is CPI(M) filing a petition? What is the fundamental right that is being violated? Not at the behest of political parties. This is not the platform. You go to the high court,” the bench said. At the outset, senior advocate P V Surendranath, appearing for the petitioner, submitted that the plea has been filed in the public interest and there is no “party interest” involved in the matter.
Encroachment drives were planned in SDMC areas after Delhi BJP chief Adesh Gupta wrote to the party-ruled civic body’s mayor on April 20 to remove encroachment by “Rohingyas, Bangladeshis and anti-social elements”. On May 11, drives will be conducted in Meharchand Market, Lodhi Colony near Sai Baba Mandir and near JLN Metro station.
About 35 eminent citizens had written to the Delhi government and the municipal corporations, urging them to immediately stop the “illegal and unlawful” demolitions in the national capital. The signatories of the letter included economist Jayati Ghosh, All India Democratic Women’s Association members Malini Bhattacharya and Mariam Dhawale, social activist Anjali Bhardwaj, and All India Progressive Women’s Association member Kavita Krishnan.
In the letter addressed to Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, they said it was “appalling” that bulldozers hired by civic authorities were targeting temporary structures essential to the livelihood of people. They said the recent visits and subsequent statements by the South Delhi Municipal Corporation mayor about areas earmarked for future demolition point to the “real and present danger” that the actions in Jahangirpuri and Kalyanpuri have caused over the month.
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