On Monday, residents of the Shaheen Bagh area in South Delhi initiated a protest after the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) launched an anti-encroachment sweep with the support of Delhi Police. Locals were spotted squatting on the sides of the highways, blocking bulldozers that had been brought in for the demolition.
Some store owners were observed removing scaffolding for building in areas where bulldozers were expected to arrive.
The demonstration was attended by Amanatullah Khan, a member of the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). There were no encroachments in the region, according to Khan, and the bulldozers were just sent in to play politics.
Similar planned drives by the city council in the Kalindi Kunj-Jamia Nagar area in Shaheen Bagh and in Sriniwaspuri had previously been canceled due to a lack of a sufficient police presence. According to reports, traffic was stalled on the main GD Birla Marg near Shaheen Bagh.
Rajpal, the head of the SDMC’s central zone standing committee, stated that the municipality will do its job and that encroachments will be eliminated.
“Our employees and government officials are prepared. Bulldozers and teams have been organized. Encroachments will be removed wherever they are found, whether they are in Tughlakabad, Sangam Vihar, New Friends Colony, or Shaheen Bagh, according to news agency ANI.
