Last Update: February 12, 2023, 19:21 IST
Residents of Delhi’s Mehrauli protest against the demolition drive by DDA. (ANI photo)
Around 1,200 square meters of government land was reclaimed during an anti-encroachment drive in the Mehrauli Archaeological Park area on Friday, the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) said in a statement on Saturday.
Some women protesters were detained on Sunday after they allegedly threw red chilli powder at policemen deployed here during an anti-encroachment drive, officials said.
Around 1,200 square meters of government land was reclaimed during an anti-encroachment drive in the Mehrauli Archaeological Park area on Friday, the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) said in a statement on Saturday.
The DDA has been carrying out the campaign since Friday amid police security, protests by local residents and a blame-game between the AAP and the BJP.
On Sunday, a group of women protested against the demolition drive and alleged that policemen deployed at the spot lathi-charged them.
Denying the allegations, a senior officer said, “There was no lathicharge and no one was injured. They (protesters) were obstructing DDA personnel and police.
“Some women threw red chilli powder at the police personnel and some of them have been detained. Suitable legal action will be taken.” The DDA continued the anti-encroachment drive on Sunday as well.
On Friday, the urban body said, “During the demolition program on 10.02.2023, around 1,200 square meters of government/DDA land has been taken back from the encroachers so far, and the exercise to take back the remaining encroached government land is on.” For its proper use by all the citizens as a park. The action was carried out as part of a demolition drive, which will continue till March 9, officials said on Friday. This comes a month before the G20 meeting to be held in Archeology. Park in South Delhi.
“The court has taken note of the encroachment in the historical park in connection with several cases in the past, and over the past few decades many people have built unauthorized structures, some, even five storeys or six storeys, in the area. A senior DDA official had said that a notice was issued last December and pasted on the walls to alert people.
The DDA, in coordination with the Delhi Police, launched an operation on Friday to remove encroachments from its land in Ladha Sarai village of Mehrauli Archaeological Park.
The park is home to about 55 monuments under the protection of the Archaeological Survey. India (ASI), Delhi’s State Archaeological Department and DDA, the authority said on Saturday.
Earlier, a demolition order, dated December 12, 2022, was pasted on the walls of the illegal structures on the land, along with a sign indicating “encroachers to remove all unauthorized constructions from the land within 10 days”.
According to the notice, the land on which the demolition is being done is part of Mehrauli Archaeological Park and “the existing unauthorized encroachment is acting as a hindrance in the development of Mehrauli Archaeological Park”.
The sprawling park is filled with historical monuments and while the area comes under the DDA, the heritage structures are maintained by the ASI.
Official sources said the ASI is also working in full swing for the G20 meeting at the Mehrauli Archaeological Park, which is planned to be held in early March.
“The Delhi High Court has on several occasions directed the government authorities to secure, preserve and protect the area under the Mehrauli Archaeological Park by removing illegal encroachments,” the statement said.
Action is being taken by the department to remove unauthorized/illegal encroachment from government land and to protect Mehrauli Archaeological Park from encroachment.
In December 2021, a “demarcation exercise as directed by the High Court” was carried out by the Revenue Department of Delhi in the presence of representatives of the DDA and the Waqf Board.
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(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed)