Nothing legal razed: North MCD as shop owner goes to SC

New Delhi: The anti-encroachment drive in Jahangirpuri will be brought to halt by the North Delhi Municipal Corporation as per directions from the Supreme Court, North Delhi Mayor Raja Iqbal Singh said, adding that other operations in other zones will continue.

The North Delhi Mayor said that they plan to follow the SC's orders. On Thursday, bulldozers demolished several structures in the area, days after Jahangirpuri was rocked by violence. North MCD deployed 7 bulldozers, and several paramilitary and police personnel along with their own employees. The drive was stopped several hours after the Supreme Court's orders.

However, the damage was already done to both concrete and temporary structures. While the civic body claimed that this was a regular anti-encroachment drive, unmotivated by the events of 16 April and that they have not demolished a single illegal structure, Ganesh Kumar Gupta a juice stall owner went to the Supreme Court on Wednesday seeking compensation, alleging that his fully legal shop was demolished without notice.

As for not giving notice, the North MCD has said that they do not need to do this while removing temporary structures on public land. But they did not explain how they arrived at the decision that these structures were temporary or illegal.

Gupta on the other hand and many others have alleged that the Delhi Development Authority had allotted them their shops and that they have been running them for decades now without a problem. Even on Wednesday morning, the shop owners were told their properties would not be touched but they were razed regardless.

North MCD claimed that they ensured no structure that had permits was harmed. Standing Committee Chairman Jogi Ram Jain claimed that the civic body did not touch anyone with permits and their employees were cognizant of who had papers/permits before the drive. He told the Millennium Post "Anyone who had papers, we didn't touch. We didn't touch the juice shop."

However, Millennium Post on Wednesday saw how Gupta kept waving his paperwork for MCD officials and the police to see but no one took a look at it and simply went ahead with demolishing his shop in front of him.

North MCD Officials have stated that there was no malice behind the drive and it will continue hosting encroachment drives in other areas as part of its responsibilities.