Khori demolition drive to start, residents asked to ‘leave peacefully’

The spectre of their houses being demolished loomed large over the residents of Khori village on Wednesday as the district administration parked 10 bulldozers on a village road. Although no building was razed on the day, officials said they are likely to start the demolition drive on Thursday

The spectre of their houses being demolished loomed large over the residents of Khori village on Wednesday as the district administration parked 10 bulldozers on a village road. Although no building was razed on the day, officials said they are likely to start the demolition drive on Thursday.

The Supreme Court, on June 7, directed the municipal authorities to “remove encroachments on the subject forest land without any exception” and gave the civic body six weeks to complete the task. (Sanjeev Verma/HT PHOTO)

Yashpal Yadav, the deputy commissioner of Faridabad, said, “We will start the demolition on Thursday morning. We are requesting residents to allow us to follow the (Supreme) Court’s order and to evacuate the village peacefully. They will be rehabilitated by the government and meetings are being held in this regard. All teams have been informed and all security measures will be taken care of,” he said.

OP Singh, the commissioner of police, said that their teams are ready and will follow the instructions of the administration. “Our teams are ready. We will also ensure the safety and security of people during the demolition drive,” he said.

The Supreme Court, on June 7, directed the municipal authorities to “remove encroachments on the subject forest land without any exception” and gave the civic body six weeks to complete the task.

Krishan Kumar, a resident, said that they have been living in fear since June 8. “We were hopeful that the Haryana government will plan rehabilitation for us, but it seems they are not interested and are planning to throw us out to fend for ourselves. The people living in Chungi (an unauthorised colony in Delhi located in the vicinity) are safe and secure, and the Delhi government is supporting them by providing them electricity and water. The houses falling under Haryana are the worst hit,” he said.

A few residents said that they are being “fooled” by the state government and that they are ready to resist the demolition drive. More than 2,000 residents were on their toes throughout the day in anticipation of the demolition process. When the bulldozers reached the village, social activists, mediapersons and local politicians also started thronging the area.

Kiran Kumari, a resident, said that residents were earlier told that a decision will be taken for their betterment and that the demolition drive will take place only after discussing it with them. “We are not even going out for work, fearing our houses will be razed. We have not earned a penny for almost a month. How will we survive if the situation remains the same?” she said.

Residents alleged that a delegation that was on its way to meet the deputy commissioner was stopped from exiting the village by the police.

Ishita Chatterjee, a PhD scholar with the Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning at the University of Melbourne, who has been studying Khori village, said, “The police have been stationed at Khori Gaon for the past three to four weeks and as per Section 144 (of the CrPC) stopping the residents from assembling and protesting. However, they have also been constantly threatening the residents, exploiting their ignorance and sometimes, forcefully getting them to fill surveys. So, what role is the police playing here?”

Social activists alleged that the government had promised to rehabilitate residents, but no steps have been taken so far.

Neelesh Kumar, a member of Basti Suraksha Manch, an organisation supporting the residents, said that the government on Sunday agreed that Khori residents would be rehabilitated and the plan of rehabilitation would be shared with them. On Monday, a meeting was held among residents, the deputy commissioner, MCF officials and the police, but a and final decision is awaited.

Residents said that more than 50 officials of the Municipal Corporation of Faridabad (MCF) on Wednesday started removing various structures and installations manually, without using any machinery. They said that a large number of khaki-clad officials and district administration officials were present outside the village for more than five hours in the morning and left in the afternoon.

However, the administration officials said that there was no demolition on the day and that the MCF officials were only taking stock of the situation in the village.