The Hindu : New Delhi News : MCD squad faces stiff resistance from traders

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, May 10, 2006

New Delhi

New Delhi

MCD squad faces stiff resistance from traders

Staff Reporter

The civic body team could only carry out "cosmetic" demolitions

NEW DELHI: The Municipal Corporation of Delhi officials on Tuesday faced stiff resistance from the traders of Old Lajpat Rai Market in the Walled City area where they had gone to demolish illegal structures. Though accompanied by police personnel, the civic body squad could only carry out "cosmetic" demolitions in the market.

In its recent order, the Delhi High Court has asked the MCD to remove all illegal structures from Lajpat Rai Market selling electrical items. Initially, the market just had shops in the ground floor but gradually the traders, in connivance with the civic body officials, illegally constructed shops in the basement and three floors in the market.

On Tuesday morning when the civic body squad reached the market to carry out the demolition exercise, they had to face angry traders who not only protested the move but also created jam on the main Chandni Chowk road leading to traffic snarls. The MCD officials had to suspend the drive till afternoon.

However, when the demolition squad moved inside the market with more police personnel in the afternoon, they again had to face resistance from the traders. As a result, the MCD team could remove minor encroachments from only eight shops and failed to raze even a single illegal portion of the multi-storey market.

Similarly, the civic body also carried out demolition drive in Krishna Nagar area in East Delhi where it began razing an illegal multi-storey structure. Till evening the complete demolition of the building could not be done so it was decided to resume the exercise on Wednesday.

In South zone, demolition action was carried out in Munirka Enclave, Savitri Nagar, Malviya Nagar and Saket where illegal structures including ongoing construction works, were targeted.

The MCD also continued with its demolition drive in Greater Kailash-I M-block market removing illegal structures and encroachments from public land. At least half-a-dozen properties were targeted in the posh market. The demolition in the area will continue on Wednesday also. So far, the MCD has removed encroachments from 2,397 properties, which includes sealing also, since it began its drive in December last year.

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