Cops deny force for demolition drives in South Delhi

According to a letter by the Station House Officer of Sarita Vihar police station to SDMC, a prior intimation of at least 10 days may be given to fix the date for encroachment removal drive in the area so that sufficient staff may be given to assist the civic officials

South Delhi Municipal Corporation’s plans to carry out an anti-encroachment drive in southeast Delhi’s Sarita Vihar and Jasola areas could not materialise on Thursday with the Delhi Police expressing its inability to provide sufficient force to assist the demolition exercise, officials aware of the matter said.

The SDMC had announced the anti-encroachment drive in these areas just days after a similar drive was carried out in the communal violence-hit Jahangirpuri in northwest Delhi (Amal KS/HT Photo)

SDMC mayor Mukesh Suryan said the drive was planned in Sarita Vihar pocket C, D,E, K-N, Jasola village, Jasola Metro station and surrounding areas. It was expected to begin around 12 noon, but could not be undertaken due to the lack of police backup. “We will see when this drive can be rescheduled based on police availability,” he added.

The SDMC had announced the anti-encroachment drive in these areas just days after a similar drive was carried out in the communal violence hit Jahangirpuri in northwest Delhi.

According to a letter by the Station House Officer of Sarita Vihar police station to SDMC, a prior intimation of at least 10 days may be given to fix the date for encroachment removal drive in the area so that sufficient staff may be given to assist the civic officials.

On Thursday afternoon, several traders in the Shaheen Bagh area could be seen removing the furniture placed outside the shops. Mohammad Saleem, a shopkeeper, said, “You are aware that these drives are being carried out. It was done in Jahangirpuri too. Before after goods get damaged, we are removing them. No notice has been issued to us. Sanitation and filth remain our key concerns for which the civic body does nothing.”

Several stakeholders had raised questions about the haste in carrying out the Jahangirpuri demolition drive on April 20, where the north corporation got the backup of 400 police personnel by sending in the requisition just a day earlier on 19th.

East Delhi Municipal Corporation mayor Shyam Sunder Aggarwal said that the civic body was not able to carry out regular drives for want of police protection. “We are not getting adequate support from police. The drives can be much regular if adequate force is provided,” he said, and added that he has also written to the police commissioner about it .

Deputy commissioner of police (east) Priyanka Kashyap said, “Whenever such demolition programs are planned and police assistance is sought for then the same is provided as per availability and prevailing law and order situation.”

A senior police official from south district also reiterated that force is provided as per availability and the prevailing situation.

Meanwhile, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Thursday alleged that Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers had barged into 200 shops in Kalyanpuri in east Delhi to demand a “monthly bribe” of ₹10,000 from shopkeepers and threatened to bulldoze their shops if they fail to pay up.

AAP leader Durgesh Pathak claimed that the Kalyanpuri Market Association has filed a complaint with the Delhi Police as “after refusing to pay the bribe, the BJP got bulldozers to run over about eight shops”.

Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor said AAP leaders were stooping low to level such allegations.

“EDMC has demolished no shop in Kalyanpuri market and AAP’s claims are totally baseless. A few days ago, some people encroached on the wall of the Delhi government’s Lal Bahadur Shastri Hospital and with tin sheets carved out four to five stalls. Repeated complaints poured in against this encroachment and after proper warning, the EDMC removed the encroachment on Wednesday. Pathak is trying to mislead people by calling the encroachment a market,” said Kapoor.

(with inputs from Alok KN Mishra)