Delhi CM Assures No Demolition of Existing Structures in O-Zone Despite Court Concerns
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta announced that no existing houses in the city's O-zone will be demolished, affecting approximately 15 lakh people across 91 unauthorised colonies and villages in an eco-sensitive Yamuna floodplain area. The assurance came after a high-level meeting and follows a Delhi High Court order last month directing authorities to report on demolition measures for unauthorised construction. The issue is significant as it affects a large population living in a protected zone where permanent construction is banned, with the court set to hear the matter again in July.
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta held a high-level meeting at the Secretariat on Tuesday to address concerns from residents of the O-zone, a protected eco-sensitive area along a 22-km Yamuna floodplain stretch from Wazirabad to Okhla where permanent construction is banned. The CM announced that no existing structures in the zone—which houses an estimated 15 lakh people across 91 unauthorised colonies and nearly a dozen villages—will be demolished. The meeting was attended by BJP MPs Ramvir Singh Bidhuri and Manoj Tiwari, along with other officials and representatives. The assurance followed widespread panic among residents after various agencies installed warning signboards about construction activities last week, prompting welfare associations from multiple areas to approach elected representatives with demolition concerns. The CM directed authorities to revise the signboards and said she would meet the Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister to discuss the issue. The meeting occurred against the backdrop of a Delhi High Court order from May 26 directing the Municipal Corporation of Delhi to submit a report on demolition measures, with the court noting that residential colonies in the protected zone are not eligible for regularisation and their existence would be "completely impermissible."
What's missing
The article does not provide details on what alternative solutions or regularisation processes, if any, the government is considering for these unauthorised colonies and villages, nor does it explain the timeline or mechanism by which the CM plans to resolve the conflict between the court's position and her assurance of no demolitions.
What different sources said
- The HinduCenter
Delhi CM: existing houses in O-zone won’t be razed
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