MCD has started its sealing and demolition drive against illegal constructions in Laxmi Nagar area; many families have nowhere to go
MCD has started its sealing and demolition drive against illegal constructions in Laxmi Nagar area; many families have nowhere to go
It took the loss of seventy lives for the Municipal Corporation of Delhi to wake up to the menace of rampant unauthorised construction in the city. 
Locked out: (Left) Dinesh Gupta and his family
That's the number of people who died in the building collapse in east Delhi's Lalita Park last month. But now the MCD's bulldozer appears set to decimate the dreams and aspirations of many families in its path.u00a0
The civic agency has demolished unauthorised portions of 42 buildings and sealed 15 other properties as it intensified operations against illegal structures in the city, in the last few days.
MCD has sealed 14 illegal properties in Laxmi Nagar and Ramesh Park while demolition action was carried out against 18 properties in Geeta Colony, Gandhi Nagar and Preet Vihar areas where illegal constructions were coming up.
Driving home the point
But, more than a thousand people living in these residential colonies are now at sea. In its endeavour to right the wrongs, MCD seems to have forgotten about the fortunes of these families.
Dinesh Gupta, who works with a travel agency, is a member of one such familiy, whose residence was sealed by the civic agency in Lalita Park. He and his relatives have been living in the area for the last five years.
"Why is this being done to us? We have been paying all our taxes and bills on time. What is our fault?" said a sad and disheartened Surbhi Gupta, Dinesh's wife.
The family is now worried about their future. The couple has two kids - Shubham (11) and Shipra (8). Both were studying when people from MCD knocked on their door and gave them the bad news.
Hit hard
"We have our exams this week. Now, in state of affairs, we cannot even think of studying. All we can do is pick up the pieces," said Shubham.
Dinesh and Surbhi are in a state of shock and are now focussing on trying to retrieve their accommodation.
"Now we are only worried about getting our shelter back. I know the process is very long and tedious, but we have to do it. Where will our kids go? The government does not care about us," said Surbhi Gupta.
Locals are blaming the government for this destruction. According to them, they have paid full amount to the police, as well as builders and the other mediocre.
"We are facing problems at the end. We have paid the necessary money to builders and the cops. But still our house has been sealed," said Dinesh Gupta.
Going through the roof
MiD DAY also met a group of boys from Nepal who came to the city for studies. They are all pursuing Chartered Accountancy. They selected a house in Laxmi Nagar to stay close to their coaching centre. Now, they are forced to look elsewhere for shelter.
"It was very difficult for us to find a home in a city like Delhi. It took us months to find a house that suited us for our coaching and everything else. But now we have to go through the process all over again," said Sudhakar Shah, one of the students.
The boys had been staying at the designated place for the last five months and were paying a rent of Rs 7,000 per month. All of them were seen shifting their belongings to the terrace of the building.
"Till the time we don't find a place for us we will stay on the terrace. We don't haveu00a0 any relatives here in the city," said Neil Lama, another member of the group.
| Hammer and tongs |
| MCD sealing and demolition squads continued their drive in Shahdara South Zone for the second day on Thursday, officials said. They sealed 14 illegal properties in Laxmi Nagar and Ramesh Park while demolition action was taken against 18 properties in Geeta Colony, Gandhi Nagar and Preet Vihar areas where unauthorised constructions were being carried out. On Wednesday, MCD sealed 19 properties and demolished as many in Lalita Park and nearby areas, sparking violence in the locality during which the local municipal councillor was allegedly thrashed by residents. The MCD has put a renewed focus on curbing unauthorised constructions after a multi-storeyed building with two illegal floors collapsed on the night of November 15, triggering criticism against the civic body for failing to check mushrooming of illegal buildings in the capital. Officials said the civic agency today also carried out demolition of unauthorised portions of 16 buildings in Najafgarh Zone, including in areas like Nangloi Jat, Mundka Sadh Nagar, Mahavir Enclave, New Roshanpura, Vaishali Colony, Rajapuri, Samalka and West Sagarpur. In Civil Lines Zone too, unauthorised portions of eight properties were demolished since yesterday while one building was sealed, officials added. The areas where the action was taken included Vijay Nagar, Sabzi Mandi, Hudson Lane, Kashmiri Gate and Majlis Park. In this zone alone, 39 properties were sealed in the last one week. |
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