Curation Team
NEW DELHI: Delhi Development Authority (DDA) conducted a demolition operation on Wednesday on Loni Road in northeast Delhi’s Gokalpuri locality.
Under police surveillance, approximately 20-25 makeshift dwellings were demolished by afternoon. The operation targeted structures that were constructed on illegally occupied govt land.
However, DDA gave no confirmation about the demolition action in the area.
The inhabitants, including some who had resided in the locality for several decades, said they had received no prior notification regarding the demolition.
This action forms part of a broader initiative by authorities to recover public property and tackle unauthorised occupancy. DDA did not comment on the serving of notices to the occupants.
These slums were approximately 40-45 years old, and in total, there were about 40 slums in the area, according to sources.
On June 16, a task force carried out a demolition drive in the Jailorwala Bagh JJ Cluster in Ashok Vihar. The team, equipped with excavators, conducted the clearance operation and removed around 2,000 structures or jhuggis encroaching govt land.
According to DDA, the demolition action was taken against the jhuggi structures where dwellers were allotted alternative flats in Jailorwala Bagh under the in-situ slum rehabilitation project. “Besides, action was also taken to remove jhuggis of ineligible persons who could not qualify for the allotment of flats under the scheme. However, jhuggis of people who took a stay in the Delhi High Court remained untouched,” stated the authority.
