Delhi CM seeks clarification from land agency on O-Zone issue

Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, chairing a high-level meeting at the Delhi Secretariat on Tuesday on the colonies located in the O-Zone area, said sought clarification from senior DDA officials on the matter. She pointed out that while the Delhi High Court had not made any observations on the constructions already completed, raised concerns over ongoing construction activities.

According to the Chief Minister’s Office, the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) has also been informed by the high court to this effect.

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The Chief Minister was informed that there are approximately 91 unauthorized colonies and a dozen old villages located in the ‘O-Zone’ area, with a population of around 15 lakh people.

Rekha Gupta said since the court had communicated its position to the DDA, the authority should act accordingly, adding that she would soon meet Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs Manohar Lal along with public representatives to discuss the issue.

She also asked DDA officials to revise the words on the boards installed in the O-Zone area in accordance with the Court’s observations so that residents of these colonies do not unduly panic.

It was noted that residents are apprehensive about the signage installed by the administration. However, public representatives, after studying court orders and government records, concluded that existing structures in these colonies face no threat and that the directives specifically mandate the demolition of only new, or the ongoing constructions.

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 public representatives also raised the issue of the notice boards in the O-Zone area and said that they created confusion.

They further stated that certain elements were active in these colonies, frightening people while at the same time using the situation as a cover to carry out their own illegal construction activities.

They also demanded concrete measures to protect Yamuna floodplains from illegal construction.

It has been said that they had no objection to a complete ban on new construction in the O-Zone area.