KDA oustees narrate woes

A LARGE number of women from Gopal Nagar, Mangla Vihar and Chisti Vihar turned out to narrate their woes to Raj Babbar. Local women had been staging a sit-in against the KDAs? demolition drive at Gopal Nagar. But on Wednesday night, police forced the agitators to call off the sit-in.

A LARGE number of women from Gopal Nagar, Mangla Vihar and Chisti Vihar turned out to narrate their woes to Raj Babbar.

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Local women had been staging a sit-in against the KDAs’ demolition drive at Gopal Nagar. But on Wednesday night, police forced the agitators to call off the sit-in. The action was taken at the behest of a senior Samajwadi Party leader whose objective was to turn Babbar’s visit into a flop show. Besides destroying the stage set up to welcome Raj Babbar and VP Singh, the cops also confiscated the loudspeaker installed at the site.

However, caring two hoots for the obstacles imposed by the district administration, large number of women from Gopal Nagar, Mangla Vihar and Chisti Nagar turned up to welcome Babbar and update him about their problems.

A local woman, Maya Patel lamented, “The KDA, in one stroke, demolished the house build with the life savings of my husband.” Another of her ilk, Ram Kumari pleaded with folded hands before Babbar to save them from the onslaught of KDA’s anti-encroachment drive.

“We purchased land from the society and have been paying our dues regularly to the Kanpur Municipal Corporation (KMC). Our power dues are also clear. Then, why have our houses been demolished,” questioned Ram Kumari.

Pledging his support to the agitating women, Babbar assured them that KDA would not be allowed to continue with its drive in Gopal Nagar and the adjoining areas.