DDA carries out demolition drive near Loni
The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) along with other civic agencies on Wednesday morning demolished more than two dozen dwelling units located along Loni road's carriageway in Gokalpur area near North East Delhi amid heavy police presence.
The residents said that the settlement was established in the 1980s and authorities did not provide them with adequate advance notice. They claimed that they had been assured of more time, and alternative housing.
Natto Devi, 40, who claims to have been born and brought up in the area, said that they had earlier been assured of alternative housing. 'We had gotten a notice a month ago too, but when we approached the area MP, he assured us that it would happen after six months, after we all have been rehoused. We had also approached the chief minister, who had assured us of relief but when we reached here, we found that our houses were broken,' said Devi.
Many of the residents complained that the demolition process was not carried out properly. They stated that they were kicked out of their house before they could gather their belongings.
'They broke our closets and beds during the demolition. When we tried to re-enter our houses to take our things, the police hit us with Lathis,' said Devi. 'They have even taken the tarps we used to cover our houses,' said another resident.
The residents said that they had also not been allotted the alternative housing they were promised. 'For three years, the governments have promised us facilities and houses, but nothing has been done,' said Suresh Singh, 60, another resident. 'Now the police are not letting us put up tents here either. Where do we go?' he added.
When contacted, DDA did not respond to HT's queries for a comment
The encroachments near the Loni roundabout had earlier also been cited by the Public Works Department to be a key hurdle in starting the work for initiating Loni underpass. PWD had initially announced that the underpass would be ready by December 2024.
PWD in its official report in April had stated that an underpass is to be developed at the Loni roundabout and an administrative approval as well as expenditure sanction of ₹70 crore for the project was granted on September 30, 2022 but there are multiple hurdles along the alignment of the underpass such as cutting of trees and encroachments.
Delhi has witnessed spate of demolition drives in the recent months at places like Taimoor Nagar, Madrasi Camp, Bhoomiheen camp in Kalkaji. Wazirpur, Burari and Ashok Vihar among other places.
Former Delhi CM and LOP Atishi posted on X, 'Today, the BJP government is demolishing the houses of the poor with bulldozers all over Delhi. Met people in Tigdi-1 JJ cluster in Deoli and listened to their problems. Demolishing a house doesn't just mean snatching away a home, it means snatching away someone's dreams, their dignity, their rights. We stand firmly with the poor in this fight. This struggle will continue against the dictatorial government of BJP.'
The bjp declined to comment on the allegations made by the AAP.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
30 minutes ago
- Business Standard
BJP's bid to hide Keezhadi findings shows its hate for Tamil pride: Stalin
The BJP government's attempt to not accept the findings of the ancient excavation site of Keezhadi in Tamil Nadu's Sivaganga district by trying to put out of sight the final report only showed how much hatred it has for Tamil pride, Chief Minister M K Stalin alleged on Thursday. Despite all the studies backed with scientific results, the Central government, which was trying to hide the cultural pride of the Tamils' by delaying the publication of the Keezhadi excavation report, has failed to produce additional evidence even two years after the final report was submitted, he claimed. This, Stalin said in a letter to party workers. "Is a blatant attack by the BJP government on Tamil culture and pride." The BJP wanted to destroy the symbol of Dravidian culture by promoting the fictional Saraswati civilisation, which lacked credible evidence, while dismissing the proven antiquity of Tamil culture, the CM said. The artifacts obtained from Keezhadi site were subjected to world-class scientific research and proved. "The BJP government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi has not accepted it. That is how much hatred for the Tamil pride is embedded in that party's policies," Stalin said. He further said, "As our leader Kalaignar (late Chief Minister M Karunanidhi) said, the BJP, which looks at Tamil with bitterness and hatred, is continuously trying to hide the glory of Tamil culture unearthed at the Keezhadi excavation site." The BJP government blatantly showed its hatred for Tamil culture by transferring the director who carried out the archaeological dig, Amarnath Ramakrishna, to Assam. Ramakrishna had submitted the initial report on the Keezhadi excavations to the Archaeological Survey of India in 2016 and he resumed work after a legal battle. "Through the Keezhadi excavations it is clear that the Vaigai River civilisation of the Tamils is approximately 2,500 to 3,000 years old. This is not just conceptual information," Stalin asserted. The objects dug out from Keezhadi were classified and sent to the best laboratories in the country and the world for scientific analysis, and based on that Ramakrishna submitted a 982-page final report in 2023. "Despite all these studies and scientific results, the BJP government is trying to hide the cultural pride of the Tamils by delaying the publication of the Keezhadi excavation results. It has failed to produce additional evidence even after two years since the final report was submitted," he claimed. He flayed the opposition AIADMK for being silent on the present action of the Centre as its leader Edappadi K Palaniswami has pawned' the AIADMK to the BJP. In his letter, Stalin said the protests by the DMK youth wing and the ruling party's allies in Chennai and Madurai condemning the Centre's alleged rejection of the report on Keezhadi on June 18, would continue in order to echo in New Delhi. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
New Indian Express
41 minutes ago
- New Indian Express
BJP govt's attempt to hide Keezhadi findings shows its hatred for Tamil pride, claims CM Stalin
CHENNAI: The BJP government's attempt to not accept the findings of the ancient excavation site of Keezhadi in Tamil Nadu's Sivaganga district by trying to put out of sight the final report only showed how much hatred it has for Tamil pride, Chief Minister M K Stalin alleged on Thursday. Despite all the studies backed with scientific results, the Central government, which was trying to hide the cultural pride of the Tamils' by delaying the publication of the Keezhadi excavation report, has failed to produce additional evidence even two years after the final report was submitted, he claimed. 'This is a blatant attack by the BJP government on Tamil culture and pride,' said Stalin in a letter to party workers. The BJP wanted to destroy the symbol of Dravidian culture by promoting the fictional Saraswati civilisation, which lacked credible evidence, while dismissing the proven antiquity of Tamil culture, the CM said. The artefacts obtained from the Keezhadi site were subjected to world-class scientific research and proved. "The BJP government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi has not accepted it. That is how much hatred for the Tamil pride is embedded in that party's policies," Stalin said. He further said, "As our leader Kalaignar (late Chief Minister M Karunanidhi) said, the BJP, which looks at Tamil with bitterness and hatred, is continuously trying to hide the glory of Tamil culture unearthed at the Keezhadi excavation site."
The Wire
an hour ago
- The Wire
Mamata Banerjee's Censorship Efforts Continue as Bengal Police Asks X to Take Down Manjul's Cartoons on CM
The spirit of democracy is the spirit of criticism and satire. But not exactly in West Bengal. On June 18, political cartoonist Manjul revealed that he received a takedown notice from X (formerly Twitter), acting on a request by the West Bengal Cyber Crime Wing. The agency asked for the removal of two of Manjul's cartoons, posted back in 2019, alleging they violated Indian law. The cartoons in question featured Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, lampooning the mass defections from Trinamool Congress (TMC) to the Bharatiya Janata Party and the party's alleged role in the chit-fund scams that rocked the state several years ago. Satirical, sharp, and unmistakably his own style, the posts are political commentary – nothing more, nothing less. The very act of seeking to remove two cartoons from a social media platform years after they were posted underscores discomfort with critical commentary, even when expressed through satire and artistic interpretation. Manjul's situation is not isolated. It's a clear symptom of a broader, troubling trend of intolerance toward dissent in Bengal, both online and offline. Bengal police filed an FIR against former CPI(M) politburo member Mohammad Salim and BJP spokesperson Amit Malviya. The complaint stemmed from their sharing a video on X depicting the public flogging of a woman by a local Trinamool leader in Chopra, North Dinajpur, an incident that ignited widespread outrage across the state. Just as in Manjul's case, the state police requested the posts be taken down by X. The blueprint for this crackdown goes back years. Way back in 2012, Jadavpur University professor Ambikesh Mahapatra experienced this firsthand. He was arrested for forwarding an email containing a cartoon depicting the chief minister. Mahapatra endured a decade-long legal battle before finally being acquitted, a period during which he had to renew his passport every year. That same year, Banerjee had made news after publicly commanding police to "catch" a farmer, Shiladitya Chowdhury, who had asked her about fertilizer prices at a public meeting. She branded him a "Maoist", initiating a legal case that dragged on for years. Sanmoy Banerjee, a former Congress spokesperson and an outspoken critic of the Trinamool Congress and its leader's nephew, was arrested from his home. He faced multiple serious Indian Penal Code sections, including forgery and defamation, for criticising the government. He required hospital treatment post-release. Kaustav Bagchi, another former Congress spokesperson, was arrested for allegedly making derogatory comments Both Banerjee and Bagchi subsequently joined the BJP. controversial YouTuber Anirban Roy, widely known as 'Roddur Roy', was arrested by Kolkata Police from a resort in Goa for allegedly making abusive comments against Banerjee and her nephew. Scores of social media users routinely face intimidation and arrests that often go beyond standard legal procedure. The frequent use of legal provisions under the new Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), such as sections 353 (public mischief), 352(intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace), and 196 (promoting enmity between different groups), against social media critics highlights a clear willingness to employ legal avenues to suppress dissent. This pattern extends beyond the digital sphere. Last year, during protests related to the rape and murder of a young doctor at the R. G. Kar Medical College and Hospital, a faction of the TMC leadership publicly advocated for a boycott of artistes critical of the West Bengal government and chief minister Banerjee. The boycott call, initiated by TMC leader and state general secretary for the party, Kunal Ghosh, received support from other prominent party figures, including Lok Sabha MP Kalyan Banerjee and state education minister Bratya Basu. Basu, himself an acclaimed actor and playwright, declared that artistes critical of the government had no right to accept state grants or permission for their shows. There are also reports indicating increased difficulty for theatre and film directors critical of the ruling party in booking performance halls. Despite public outcry, Banerjee did not make any public statement against the boycott call. Her silence on such a controversial issue can be interpreted as tacit approval or a strategic move to allow aggressive tactics by party members while maintaining deniability for the party's highest leadership. This subtle yet potent form of suppression has become a new normal in West Bengal, actively undermining cultural freedom, artistic independence, and critical thought. It fosters a pervasive climate of fear and self-censorship, eerily similar to the environment under the Narendra Modi regime in Delhi. Manjul in his post noted, 'For those who think Mamata is different from the BJP.' The latest overreach, along with many others, affirms comedian and writer Varun Grover's assessment of the TMC supremo: 'Mamata Banerjee is Narendra Modi in a cotton saree.'
