The Hindu : New Delhi News : Order to demolish new construction at Sainik Farms

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Jul 31, 2004

New Delhi

New Delhi

Order to demolish new construction at Sainik Farms

By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI, JULY 30. Following detection of fresh construction activity at Sainik Farms, the posh unauthorised colony in South Delhi, in gross violation of the direction of the Delhi High Court, the Municipal Commissioner, Rakesh Mehta, today ordered demolition of at least 18 such buildings. The demolition would take place next week.

The demolition order was issued after a raid was carried out by MCD officials at Sainik Farms this afternoon. The area engineers, who were found responsible for facilitating unauthorised construction activities, have been placed under suspension and a vigilance probe has been ordered into the entire incident.

Mr. Mehta has also written a letter to the Delhi Police Commissioner, K.K. Paul, as the Delhi High Court in its order had directed the police along with the civic body to ensure that no fresh construction activity took place here. While the police was asked to deploy their men at all the major entry and exit points and increase its surveillance to ensure no building construction material entered Sainik Farms.

It is learnt that Mr. Mehta recently received complaints that construction activity on a large-scale was going on inside Sanik Farms in connivance with the area engineers and policemen. Soon after receiving the complaints, Mr. Mehta himself decided to make a surprise visit today. As he was asked to be present in the Delhi Assembly because of a discussion on mid-day meal incident in Rohini on Thursday, the Director (Vigilance) B.S. Brar led the team.

The team found massive construction activity going on in all these 18 buildings. The construction material entered Sainik Farms at night. Incidentally, the police had constructed pickets as per the High Court order at all the four entry and exit points.

After Mr. Brar submitted his report this evening, Mr. Mehta ordered suspension (with major penalty) of an executive engineer, A.K. Gupta, two assistant engineers, Anil Kumar and S. D. Sharma, and two junior engineers, Jagdishwar Upadhyay and S.K. Sharma.

Mr. Mehta also ordered the Deputy Commissioner (South) to begin demolition of all these buildings at the earliest.

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