DDA Defers Demolition Drive Near Majnu Ka Tila Amid Encroachment Crackdown

The Delhi Development Authority has postponed its demolition drive on the Yamuna floodplain near Majnu Ka Tila gurdwara. Temporary illegal structures were demolished at Khyber Pass. Residents in Majnu Ka Tila, including Pakistani refugees, have been asked to vacate by July 12. Compliance follows orders from the National Green Tribunal and Delhi High Court.

The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) has deferred the demolition drive on the Yamuna floodplain near the Majnu Ka Tila gurdwara, sources reported on Saturday.

According to a senior police officer, a demolition drive was executed at Khyber Pass near Civil Lines to clear illegal encroachments on Saturday.

Several temporary structures, deemed illegal on lands owned by the Land and Development Office, were dismantled, police confirmed.

Dharamveer Solanki, a Pakistani refugee residing in Majnu Ka Tila, stated that the demolition team had not yet reached his location.

'The DDA has not yet reached Majnu Ka Tila. They started the demolition near Vidhan Sabha area,' Solanki noted.

The DDA announced in a public notice on Thursday its plan to carry out demolition operations on July 13 and 14. Residents of Majnu Ka Tila, which has a significant population of Pakistani Hindus, received the late notice instructing them to vacate by Friday.

The notice cited the National Green Tribunal's April 3 order and the March 12 order of the Delhi High Court as the basis for the action.

'In compliance with these orders, it is proposed to organise a demolition drive against the encroachment in the river Yamuna floodplain area near the south of Gurudwara Majnu Ka Tila (Western Bank) on Saturday and Sunday,' read the DDA notice.

Affected families may temporarily stay at Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB) shelters, the notice informed.

'Therefore, residents are requested to vacate by July 12 or they will be responsible for any losses due to the demolition on July 13 or later,' the notice added.

The NGT highlighted in its April 3 order that the DDA's status report failed to reveal substantial steps for removing encroachments. The NGT directed a compliance report to be filed at least a week before the next hearing on July 15 via email.

Before the Lok Sabha polls, some Majnu Ka Tila refugees were granted citizenship certificates under the Citizenship Amendment Act.