Demolition Looms, Yamuna Khadar Families Dismantle Huts Following Eviction Notice
People living in Yamuna Khadar demolished their homes following a phone call regarding a demolition drive.
Residents near the Yamuna Khadar area in Delhi were seen dismantling their ‘jhuggis’ (huts) on Tuesday, saying they had received a call from the authorities about an impending demolition drive.
#WATCH | Delhi: People vacate their jhuggis in Yamuna Khadar area ahead of demolition drive pic.twitter.com/NxIqN9Hk1w
— ANI (@ANI) March 4, 2025
The move comes amid increased scrutiny over encroachments on the Yamuna floodplains, which are an important part of the river ecosystem. The encroachments are also seen as an impediment to efforts towards cleaning up the heavily polluted river.
According to a PTI report, the Delhi High Court said on Monday that the condition of the Yamuna had “surpassed the threshold" and "any further interference in its rejuvenation and restoration efforts” cannot be justified. The court said this while rejecting a plea by a nursery welfare association against the Delhi Development Authority's (DDA) action of removing nurseries from the floodplains.
The nursery welfare association operates in the Yamuna Khadar area, which falls within Zone 'O' of the Master Plan for Delhi-2021, covering the Yamuna Floodplains.
The court said it had no hesitation in holding that the petitioner’s nurseries were encroachers with no legal right to continue to use and occupy the land for any purpose or to seek rehabilitation by way of alternative allotment.
"Any such intervention would only serve to hinder and delay the timely execution of the public projects...," Justice Dharmesh Sharma, presiding over the hearing, said, as per PTI.
The association was aggrieved by the DDA’s action of uprooting their nurseries and destroying all plantations with bulldozers. As per PTI, the plea alleged that the DDA carried out the demolition drive without providing the association members an opportunity to be heard and without conducting a physical demarcation of the land, as mandated by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) in 2019.
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'Weak Attempt To Tug At Conscience'
The court said the nursery welfare association's plea was a weak attempt to "tug at the conscience of this court" by proclaiming themselves to be the guardians of the environment. The petitioners, the court added, failed to present any concrete or legitimate grounds to justify their continued occupation of the land or their entitlement to rehabilitation by the authorities.
It said the subject land is a part of 'Zone-O' of the MPD-2021, which is 1 in 25 floodplains, on which all encroachments have to be promptly removed by the DDA for developing the 'Mayur Nature Park' in line with NGT directions.
Meanwhile, residents near the Yamuna Bridge in the Shastri Park area have also started leaving their homes after they reportedly received eviction notices on Sunday.
VIDEO | Delhi: People vacate their hutments near Yamuna Bridge, Shastri Park area ahead of demolition drive. Here’s what the locals have to say:
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) March 4, 2025
“Before elections, everyone (political parties) say that the slums won’t be destroyed but after elections, they trouble us. We don’t… pic.twitter.com/PJvN6sSYCn
“Before elections, everyone (political parties) say that the slums won’t be destroyed but after elections, they trouble us. We don’t get electricity here. We don't have (electricity) meters, but wherever we go they ask us for an electricity bill as proof. We demand the government to grant us a loan of Rs 3 to 5 lakh without interest so that we can get a place. We are not demanding anything else from the government. We will repay the loan," Sabina, a resident, told PTI.
Similarly, another resident, Seema, told the news agency, “Everyone troubles the poor. If they will destroy our houses, then where will we go? We got the notice on March 2 and this morning they asked us to vacate the houses”.
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