There was high drama at Noida's Grand Omaxe housing society, where a row had erupted last month following a spat between politician Shrikant Tyagi and another resident, as bulldozers demolished encroachments by several apartment owners on Friday. The development came after the Noida Authority issued notice to more than 100 encroachers after conducting a survey.
As the authority officials arrived with a bulldozer at Grand Omaxe, protesting residents shut the gates of the society. Some even sat down in protest, urging them to spare their flats.
Multiple excavators and around half a dozen dumper trucks were used to demolish the encroachments, mostly temporary constructions outside ground-floor apartments, Noida officials told PTI. The demolition was carried out amid heavy police presence.
"After the initial resistance there was no law and order situation in the process. Adequate security personnel have been deployed," ACP (Central Noida 1) Abdul Qadir said.
The fresh demolition comes more than a month after illegal construction outside the apartment of Shrikant Tyagi, who is said to be close to the BJP, was razed.
On August 5, a video went viral on social media in which Shrikant Tyagi was seen abusing and assaulting a woman resident after she objected to plantation of some trees by him at the Grand Omaxe Society. Four days later, Tyagi was arrested along with three other accomplices from Meerut.
The fresh controversy started after more than a dozen palm trees were again transplanted outside Tyagi's apartment on Tuesday despite police presence.
Following the Tuesday incident, the residents of the society who had objected to the plantation in the common area in August once again expressed concern over the encroachment.
The Tyagi family was informed by a team of Noida Authority officials to get the trees removed in two days or the officials would have to "remove the encroachment" themselves. The officers arrived at the scene the same day.
However, high voltage drama prevailed as Anu Tyagi, wife of Shrikant Tyagi, and her relatives opposed the demolition team as they stood between the palm trees and the JCB.
Anu Tyagi had questioned why only parts of her house were demolished when several others also had illegal construction.
"I am saying people's houses should not be demolished. Initially also we said neither we are wrong nor others, but earlier I was alone so no one listened to us. I am sad that today parts of several people's houses are being demolished," PTI quoted Tyagi as saying.
"I only said that same norms should be applied to all. Do with us what is done with others and vice versa," she further said.
(With inputs from PTI)