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In April this year, when bulldozers brought by the erstwhile North Delhi Municipal Corporation razed several “unauthorised” structures at violence-hit Jahangirpuri in north-west Delhi, the aggrieved residents urged the authorities to remove the “real” encroachment — heaps of garbage on the roads and overflowing filth from drains.
Seven months later, when Today News 24 visited the area again, the residents said the situation has only worsened, with the civic authorities “turning a blind eye” to the growing filth and chaos in their lives.
Jahangirpuri, which grabbed national headlines following clashes between two communities on the occasion of Hanuman Jayanti on April 16, saw a prompt demolition drive four days later, similar to those witnessed in other States where communal violence had erupted earlier. The bulldozers came to a halt only when the Supreme Court intervened and ordered status quo.
Since then, the area has been waiting for some civic action on the garbage heaps which have been encroaching more and more public space.
Refurbished shops, which were razed down as part of municipality’s ‘anti-encroachment’ drive, in Jahangirpuri.
| Photo Credit:
SUSHIL KUMAR VERMA
For the likes of Sheikh Ashraf, 39, who was born and raised in the bylanes of Jahangirpuri’s C-block — the area where the violence erupted — the upcoming elections to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) have generated some optimism towards voting for a candidate who would “fix these issues for good”.
“People here won’t vote for the BJP, especially after how its government at the civic-level [MCD] initiated bulldozer drives across the city. It has to be the Aam Aadmi Party or the Congress, but mostly the former since the party has addressed issues of water and electricity and might just solve the sanitation and waste issues,” said Mr. Ashraf.
Changed ward
Mr. Ashraf, however, will not be voting for the Jahangirpuri ward candidate this time. He and the other voters from Jahangirpuri C-block have been moved to the neighbouring Bhalswa ward following the recent delimitation exercise, which was executed to reduce the total number municipal wards from 272 to 250, as per the Centre’s provision in the Delhi Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Act, 2022.
“Most of us were unaware of this reshuffle, but it hasn’t changed the condition of our area. We will still vote for AAP,” said Mr. Ashraf.
Sharing a similar view was Ganesh Kumar, whose shop was among the first to be demolished by the civic authorities during the “anti-encroachment” drive, causing him losses worth over ₹12 lakh. Though he later rebuilt his shop, he said the “trauma of the incident still remains fresh”.
‘Civic apathy’
Pointing towards a trash-filled open drain behind his shop, Mr. Kumar expressed his disappointment at the “civic apathy” that people like him face on a daily basis.
He said the BJP’s decision to include former north Delhi Mayor Raja Iqbal Singh – who supervised the demolition drive – in its list of candidates for the upcoming polls, is nothing short of “rubbing salt” on their wounds, which are yet to heal. Mr. Iqbal Singh is contesting the MCD polls from the Mukherjee Nagar ward.
Demolition drive under way in Jahangirpuri in April this year.
| Photo Credit:
SUSHIL KUMAR VERMA
“He [Mr. Singh] was not our ward councillor, but he played a big role in initiating the bulldozer drive. The BJP’s decision is wrong and is aimed at creating a communal rift. The people of Jahangirpuri have risen above the hate it [BJP] tried to create. After the incident [demolition drive], the garbage in the area has only grown, and the authorities are disinterested in helping us,” said Mr. Kumar.
When asked about the residents’ complaints, MCD director for press and information Amit Kumar said: “The zonal team is regularly working towards cleanliness. Regular visits by nodal officer and HOD assigned are being carried out in this regard. The complaints are also attended to.”
Big party candidate
“We need a candidate who has the will to stand by us in tough times; the person cannot be an independent candidate or one from a small party because they don’t have the resources. Most of the encroachment in our ward lies in the form of waste. Ask the MCD what happened to its big talk of removing encroachments on a routine basis?” said a vendor.
According to data compiled by a Special Task Force (STF), the highest pendency of complaints – 2,055 (as of October 15) – are from areas under the erstwhile North corporation. In April too, the erstwhile North civic body had the highest pendency of complaints at 3,903.
The STF was constituted by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs in 2018 to oversee effective enforcement of the Delhi Master Plan, by-laws and removal of unauthorised construction and encroachments. It comprises government agencies, including the Delhi Development Authority (DDA), civic bodies, Public Works Department and Delhi Police, among others.
As of October 15, areas under two erstwhile municipal corporations – North and South – have the highest pendency of complaints standing at a total of 3,635. The only other agency with a high number of pending complaints is the DDA, with the figure standing at 1,080.
