New Delhi, June 9: Chief Minister Rekha Gupta chaired a high-level meeting at the Delhi Secretariat on Tuesday regarding the colonies located in the O-Zone area. The meeting revealed that there will be no demolition actions on old constructions in these colonies, as approved by the High Court for the Delhi Development Authority (DDA).
Present at the meeting were Northeast Delhi MP Manoj Tiwari, South Delhi MP Ramvir Singh Bidhuri, Yamuna Par Development Area Board Chairman and MLA Arvinder Singh Lovely, along with Delhi government‘s Chief Secretary Rajeev Verma, Municipal Commissioner Sanjeev Khairwar, and senior officials from the DDA and related departments.
The Chief Minister was informed that there are approximately 91 unauthorized colonies and a dozen old villages in the O-Zone area, housing around 1.5 million residents. Concerns were raised that the notice boards placed by the government have created anxiety among the residents. The representatives noted that their study of the High Court’s orders and government records indicated that there is no threat to the old constructions in these colonies. The orders pertain only to demolishing new or ongoing constructions.
The representatives also highlighted the confusion caused by the notice boards in the O-Zone colonies and expressed that certain elements are instilling fear among the residents while simultaneously carrying out illegal constructions. They demanded solid measures to protect the Yamuna floodplain from unauthorized constructions. The representatives stated that they have no objection to a complete ban on new constructions in the O-Zone area.
During the meeting, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta sought clarification from senior DDA officials on this matter. She pointed out that the High Court did not comment on completed constructions but raised questions about ongoing projects.
The Chief Minister emphasized that since the court has responded to the DDA on this matter, it should comply accordingly. She plans to meet with Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Manohar Lal soon to discuss the issue with the representatives. She also instructed DDA officials to revise the language of the boards in the O-Zone area, in line with the High Court’s recommendations, to prevent any panic among the residents of the colonies.