In an anti-encroachment drive to start the construction of metro, six semi-pucca homes and a newly-opened restaurant were demolished in Jamia Nagar Monday. As per the Delhi Municipal Corporation, it cleared off a chunk of land in Tikona Park, where the Jamia Nagar Metro station is being constructed on the Janakpuri West-Kalindi Kunj line. Police personnel was posted in the area from nine in the morning to ensure law after the demolition took.
The semi-pucca houses in the JJ cluster along with a newly opened, two-months-old restaurant in the area were de-structured. However, there was no resistance from the residents.
DCP (southeast) Romil Baaniya said, “The clearance was an execution of a warrant of possession. The drive was conducted by the Delhi Metro and we assisted them. During the drive, some encroachments were removed, on orders from the court. All the mandated parameters were obeyed.”
Although, residents claim that the Metro had given them no prior notice.
Mohammad Arif, a car mechanic whose family was one of the six which saw their homes demolished, said they had been living there for the last 40 years and had documents to prove ownership of the land.
“The Delhi Metro was supposed to clear around 4,500 gaz of my six bigha patch because the remaining 1,500 gaz does not belong to them, as specified by court orders. Despite me showing them court papers, the Delhi Metro demolished my holdings on the entire six bigha patch. They had given us no prior notice about the demolition,” alleged Arif, whose wife, sons and grandchildren who spent the night in the open on Monday.
