Mehrauli demolition: Delhi govt pulls up official over land demarcation

Demarcation is an exercise intended to establish the extent of the area under the legal owner’s right on the land, which is carried out by the revenue department

Delhi revenue minister Kailash Gahlot on Tuesday pulled up district magistrate (south) Monica Priyadarshini for alleged “inaction” on an order to carry out a fresh demarcation exercise of the Mehrauli Archaeological Park, around which authorities have been demolishing illegal constructions which have mushroomed over the past years.

Residents react as Delhi Development Authority (DDA) officials demolish alleged illegal structures during an anti-encroachment drive, at Mehrauli in New Delhi on Tuesday. (Raj K Raj/HT Photo)

Demarcation is an exercise intended to establish the extent of the area under the legal owner’s right on the land, which is carried out by the revenue department.

On Saturday, Gahlot had issued an order to the DM, directing her to carry out the fresh demarcation exercise and was advised to inform Delhi Development Authority (DDA) officials about the government orders.

In a letter dated Tuesday, the minister said, “I am informed that none of the directions have been complied with. In the face of large-scale demolition by DDA, such non-compliance by DM (south) with regard to demarcation exercise which is the basis for carrying out demolition activities makes the DM (south) complicit in the whole affair. DM (south) is once again directed to comply with the directions contained in my order with immediate effect under intimation to my office.”

HT has seen a copy of the letter.

The DM did not respond to requests for comment.

Gahlot also sent a copy of the fresh order to the DDA, reiterating that the demolition drive cannot be carried out without a fresh demarcation exercise.

A revenue department official said, “The demolition is a quasi-judicial operation and the last demarcation was done in December 2021. The appellate authority in this case is SDM Saket, who has not received any appeal or objection from the recorded owners (DDA) or any other stakeholders against the demarcation. Since the revenue assistant did not receive any appeal against the December 2021 demarcation, no case was instituted for re-demarcation of the land.”

The 2021 demarcation was done on DDA request by the revenue department of the Delhi government, said a government official who added the purpose of demarcation was to determine the land ownership and illegal encroachment extent (if any).

The DDA in a statement issued last week had said that the aim of the demolition drive was to “reclaim encroached government land” in the Mehrauli Archaeological Park “for its rightful use by all citizens as a park”.