Hours After Razing House, DDA Offers Temporary Accommodation To Uttarakhand Tunnel Rescue Hero, He Denies
The DDA offered to move Wakeel Hassan, who was part of the Silkyara tunnel rescue operation, and his family to temporary accommodation.
The Delhi Development Authority offered to move Wakeel Hassan, a rat-hole miner who was part of the Silkyara tunnel rescue operation, and his family to temporary accommodation hours after razing his house in a demolition drive. Hassan, however, declined the offer, news agency PTI reported on Thursday, citing sources.
Speaking to PTI, Hassan said that the officials of the DDA also told him that he would soon be provided a house in the Govindpuri area, but he refused to accept the offer as it was only a "verbal assurance".
Some TV channels showed visuals of Hassan and his family sitting and having dinner amid the rubble of what used to be their home. He spent the night on a footpath with his wife and their two children.
The neighbours' of Hassan's family provided them food and other necessary items. His house was razed in a demolition drive carried out by the DDA in northeast Delhi's Khajoori Khas area. Several other houses were demolished during the drive, as reported by PTI.
In a video message released on Wednesday, Hassan stated that his house had been demolished, rendering him and his family homeless. Not long ago, the rat-hole miner was appreciated and honoured for his role in rescuing, with his team, 41 workers trapped in Uttarkashi's Silkyara tunnel in November last year.
A DDA source told PTI that agency officials met Hassan on Wednesday night. "Some DDA officials went to the demolition site and offered to move Hassan and his family to temporary accommodation, but he refused the offer," PTI quoted the source as saying.
Make Offer In Writing: Hassan
Meanwhile, Hassan said that he wants authorities to make their offer in writing. "Around midnight, some DDA officers came and offered to shift me and my family to a guest house in Vasant Kunj," Hassan told PTI. He claimed the DDA officials also told him that "a house will also be provided in the Govindpuri area soon, but I refused to accept their offer because the assurance was verbal".
No Notice Was Served: Hassan
On Wednesday, Hassan had alleged that no notice was served to him before the demolition. "We rescued 41 people from the Silkyara tunnel and got this in return. Earlier, I had requested the authorities and the government to give this house to me but to no avail. Today, without any (prior) information, DDA (officials) came and demolished it," he had said, as quoted by PTI.
The DDA had said the demolition drive was carried out on land that was "part of planned development land". Police said several structures built illegally were demolished during the drive.
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