Demolition action at Delhi’s Majnu Ka Tila: Minister slams DDA

Bhardwaj said the BJP-led central government should immediately withdraw the order to demolish the homes Hindu refugees

The scheduled demolition drive by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) at Manju ka Tila in north Delhi did not commence on Thursday even as the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) engaged in a war of words over the matter.

Residents of the area protest the DDA demolition drive at Majnu Ka Tila in north Delhi on Thursday. (Raj K Raj/HT Photo)

In a press conference on Thursday, urban development minister Saurabh Bharadwaj alleged DDA was targeting hundreds of Hindu refugees from Pakistan. The Delhi BJP hit back and said the AAP was indulging in “dirty politics” over judicial orders of the National Green Tribunal (NGT). Several Hindu outfits also protested against the demolition drive in the area.

In a statement, DDA said NGT has directed to clear encroachments on the Yamuna floodplains. “Regarding demolition at Majnu Ka Tila... the area comes under Yamuna floodplains. NGT in its order dated October 17, 2019, directed that floodplains cannot be allowed to be occupied because it may damage the ecology of the river. In an order dated January 29, 2024 NGT has imposed a fine of ₹25,000 on DDA for non-compliance... However, any eviction exercise at the location has been postponed,” the statement said.

Bhardwaj said the BJP-led central government should immediately withdraw the order to demolish the homes of these Hindu refugees. “There has been an uproar in the Delhi Assembly regarding the continuous demolition of people’s homes over the last 1.5 years... notices have been served by DDA to demolish slum settlements near the Gurudwara close to Majnu ka Tilla. Those poor people have packed up all their belongings in fear of the bulldozers... DDA should have opposed this order in NGT and gone to the Supreme Court,” Bhardwaj said.

Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva said that the party took up the matter with lieutenant governor (LG) VK Saxena. “As soon as the refugee leaders apprised BJP about the eviction notice, we took up the matter with LG and got the eviction stalled... Regrettably, AAP leaders never visited the refugees in the last nine years,” he added.