Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta chaired a high-level meeting at the Delhi Secretariat on Tuesday regarding 91 colonies located in the O-Zone area on the Yamuna floodplains, deciding that no demolition action would be taken against existing constructions in these colonies.
The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) has also been informed by the Delhi High Court to this effect, an official said. The meeting was attended by North East Delhi MP Manoj Tiwari, South Delhi MP Ramvir Singh Bidhuri, and Trans Yamuna Area Development Board (TYADB) Chairman and MLA Arvinder Singh Lovely, along with Chief Secretary Rajeev Verma, Municipal Corporation of Delhi Commissioner Sanjeev Khairwar and senior officials from the DDA and concerned departments.
The Chief Minister was informed that there are approximately 91 unauthorised colonies and a dozen old villages in the ‘O-Zone’ area, with a population of around 15 lakh. It was also noted that residents are apprehensive due to signage installed by the administration; however, public representatives, after studying the Delhi High Court orders and government records, have concluded that existing structures in these colonies face no threat.
The orders specifically mandate the demolition of only new or ongoing construction. The public representatives also raised the issue of the notice boards installed by the authorities in colonies located in the O-Zone area and said that the message displayed on them was creating confusion among residents, according to a statement.
They stated that certain elements were active in these colonies, frightening people while simultaneously using the situation as cover to carry out their own illegal construction activities. They also demanded concrete measures to protect the Yamuna floodplain from illegal construction.
The representatives further said that they had no objection to a complete ban on new construction in the O-Zone area. During the meeting, Chief Minister Gupta sought clarification from senior DDA officials on the matter. She said that the High Court had not made any observations regarding constructions that had already been completed, but had raised concerns about ongoing construction activities.
The Chief Minister said that since the High Court had communicated its position to the DDA, the authority should act accordingly. She added that she would soon meet Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs Manohar Lal, along with public representatives, to discuss the issue.
She also asked DDA officials to revise the wording of the boards installed in the O-Zone area in accordance with the High Court’s observations so that residents of these colonies do not face any unnecessary panic.