Khajuri Khas demolition: Kin of miner say didn’t get notice
Notably, the entire Shri Ram Colony where Hasan lived figures in the list of 1,731 unauthorised colonies in the capital.
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Vaqeel Hasan led a team of ‘rat-hole’ miners in Nov 2023, and rescued 41 construction workers trapped in Silkyara Tunnel. (Express Photo by Chitral Khambhati)The family of Vaqeel Hasan, the Uttarakhand tunnel rescue hero whose house was demolished by the DDA earlier this week, have claimed they had not received any notice prior to the exercise even as they rejected offers for an accommodation from different quarters, insisting they only want to stay in Khajuri Khas — a locality they have been residing in since over a decade.
In November 2023, Hasan had led a team of “rat-hole” miners, which rescued 41 construction workers trapped in the Silkyara Tunnel. “We did not receive any document from the DDA. When we asked, they said why should they issue a notice for their own land,” said Shabana, Hasan’s wife.
Notably, the entire Shri Ram Colony where Hasan lived figures in the list of 1,731 unauthorised colonies in the capital. “My house is unauthorised the way the entire colony is unauthorised. The whole exercise is to extort money from me,” he said. Hasan seemed unmoved by Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena’s offer of providing his family an EWS flat in Narela. Said his friend Munna Qureshi, another “rat-hole” miner: “He had an 80 gaj house, why should he move into one that is barely 20-25 gaj? He should get a house at least in the same locality.”
North East Delhi MP Manoj Tiwari told The Indian Express: “We are ready to help him out both on a short-term and long-term basis.” He said Hasan has two options: to avail a grant and build the house himself on legal land or to take a ready-made flat. He also offered to help the family find a temporary house close to Khajuri Khas and pay its rent.
Meanwhile, unease and uncertainty was palpable among Hasan’s neighbours regarding their own houses. “Vaqeel sahab also didn’t get a notice, and he… was called a hero,” said a neighbour who did not wish to be named. DDA officials remained unavailable for comment.
The National Capital Territory of Delhi Laws (Special Provisions) Second (Amendment) Bill, 2023 says that orderly arrangements have to be made for the relocation and rehabilitation of residents of slums, unauthorised colonies and urban villages with construction beyond what is permissible. However, as the 2041 Master Plan for Delhi is still being finalised, dealing with these developments would require more time.
Meanwhile, the matter echoed in the Delhi Assembly during the ongoing budget session. Citing examples of other recent cases of demolition, AAP MLA Rajendra Pal Gautam said, “These are poor people who construct a house with hard-earned money… where will these people go? The Central government and L-G should answer…”
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