Three buildings partially demolished in a disputed area around IAF ammunition depot in Sector 14

Three large buildings falling within the 900-metre disputed area around the Indian Air Force (IAF) ammunition depot in Sector 14 were partially demolished by a joint

Three large buildings falling within the 900-metre disputed area around the Indian Air Force (IAF) ammunition depot in Sector 14 were partially demolished by a joint team of the department of town and country planning (DTCP) and the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) on Tuesday.

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The demolition drive was met with stiff resistance from the local residents and the owners of these buildings. However, the police personnel present at the spot managed to push back the protesting demonstrators and carry on with the drive. Officials of the civic agencies said that these buildings had come up illegally in the disputed area, where according to a Supreme Court directive issued in 2012 all new constructions that come up in that area will be deemed illegal.

The demolition was carried out in three areas, namely Ashok Vihar, Dharm Colony and Noble Enclave, by the joint team led by district town planner RS Bhath and MCG joint commissioner Gaurav Antil. They were assisted by a police team of around 500 personnel.

The demolition team allegedly witnessed a strong resistance in Ashok Vihar Phase-3, where residents led by local Congress leader Gaje Singh Kablana — whose wife happens to be the deputy mayor of MCG — opposed the demolition, alleging that it was politically motivated and that the drive specifically targeted him. It took the joint team of officials around two hours to convince the protesters that the building under question was illegally built.

Protesting against the demolition, Kablana said that no notice had been served by the departments concerned and around 150 persons are living in the building in Ashok Vihar Phase-3. “There are over a lakh of such structures in 900-metre area but only one building has been targeted as it belongs to my family. We will take up this matter in the court and fight the battle legally,” he said.

RS Bhath, district town planner said that partial demolition has been carried and the owner of the building in Ashok Vihar Phase-3 has been given time to remove household items as people were found to be living there. “All under-construction buildings in the area will face demolition as it is illegal to construct a residential building within the 900-metre area of the ammunition depot,” he added.

Reacting to Kablana’s allegations, Gaurav Antil, joint commissioner, MCG, said, the due process of law has been followed in carrying out the demolition drive. “Questions are often raised during such drives by violators to purchase time. However, all norms have been followed and action has been taken as per the law,” he said.

The enforcement team later demolished two similar multi-storey buildings in Dharm Colony and Noble Enclave, both of which fell within the 900-metre disputed area.

Police personnel from different police stations, including Udyog Vihar, Palam Vihar, Sector 5, Bajghera, were deployed as a part of the drive. Jitender Gahlawat, ACP, Udyog Vihar, said that adequate police force was deployed to carry out the demolition drive. “There was some resistance shown by locals but we managed to keep the situation under control,” he said.