The Farce in Force

Photo: Prakhar Pandey

The nightmare of the people living in the 900 meters disputed area around the IAF Ammunition Depot is never ending, as the civic administration and law enforcement agencies, which remain invisible (or complicit) when illegal construction is going on in this belt, keep finding ingenious ways to enter the area and carry out 'targeted' demolitions. On Wednesday, a large number of MCG officials, backed by a heavy police presence, tore into Sheetla Colony by breaking a part of the Air Force Depot boundary wall and demolished almost seven to eight houses that were close to the wall. The locals allege that there was no warning or notice issued to them, and they were shocked by the sudden assault. The huge posse of policemen fired tear gas shells on them, and swooped down on their houses with impunity. The result is that a number of people have lost their homes and hearths - household goods were seen scattered all over, and a lot more was still buried under the malba of the demolished structures. Premlata, whose house was demolished in the raid, which took place around 11 in the morning, says, “As soon as they broke the wall there was commotion, and the policemen forced everyone to vacate the area. Most of our men were at work. There was no one to stop this action. We should have been given some time. The government has now made us homeless." Raju, who had come back from school, was sitting in a plot area adjacent to his (demolished) house, guarding the household goods that he had been able be salvage from the wreckage. He was not able to comprehend how his house, which had been ‘standing’ in the morning, had been suddenly brought down – it had ‘vanished’. He was also worried about how he would be able to attend the school in the coming days. Further, with the onset of winter, families like Raju’s will find it difficult to survive, even if they build shanties on the plots of land they ‘hold’. As soon as the demolition operation was over, the demolition squad as well as the police retreated into the Air Force Depot, and labour was put to work to repair the broken wall. A large crowd of residents, who had gathered at the site, lodged a (minor) protest but there was little that could be done as the officials said that they were just following the High Court’s orders. The residents however allege that the government should then also have targeted the property dealers and officials who have condoned the construction activity that has been going on all these years – and is still on-going! Premlata says that her house was built in 2003, and the demolition of houses that were built prior to 2009 has not been allowed by the Court. "We were hoping that the new government would resolve the matter at the earliest, but there has been no change in the stance of the Administration," says Dharamvir Chauhan, a local leader who also has a house in the area. Seema, a resident whose house was saved in the nick of time, when a large number of people gathered in protest, says that they have been living in constant fear - as the demolition squad can come without any notice or warning. "We are residents of a democratic nation and should not be treated as third rate citizens," she says. One of the residents whose house was demolished says that his family had taken a large loan to construct the building. "It was a basic structure, and now we do not have even that," he says, while sifting through the bricks and iron rods. Many residents who had gathered at the spot also demanded action against the Maruti factory and several buildings and houses that have been built by HUDA and other agencies within the 900 meters ‘illegal’ areas. “The rich and influential are favoured by every government. And these scams can take place only because pliant officials are more than happy to look the other way, as long as their palms are well greased,” they say.  One of the residents alleges that the demolitions are only ‘cosmetic’ and a face saving device, as new construction is still rampant in the area. "The authorities have no plan or proposal to clamp down on further construction, but they want to please the Air Force officials (who have not ‘succumbed’ till now) and show compliance with High Court orders," he alleges. MLA Umesh Agarwal and Councillor Gaje Singh Kablana also came to the site and listened to the woes of the people. Kamal, who lives close by, says that there should be uniformity of action for anyone transgressing. If demolitions are carried out in this manner, only the poor will suffer – it is they (basically migrant labour from UP and Bihar) who live closest to the IAF boundary wall. The affluent, and the locals of Gurgaon and Haryana, mostly have houses built near the (main) road, and they are never touched by these surprise demolitions. 

MCG says that the entire demolition exercise was carried out as per the Punjab and High Court’s orders. An enforcement team, backed by the police, entered the area at 5am and carried out the drive till 5pm. During this period, action was taken against building material suppliers, house owners and commercial establishments. Senior officials from MCG as well as the police were present, to ensure that the exercise was carried out peacefully. The Deputy Commissioner appealed to the residents to not carry out construction activities in this disputed zone and warned that strict action would be taken against those violating these orders. The residents are planning to approach their representatives, who had promised the resolution of this dispute once BJP came to power both in the State and the Centre. "We have become a political football for our votes. Once the election is over these people forget their promises," asserts Dharmendra, another area resident. The people also rue the fact that, instead of providing them basic amenities like water and power, which has also been approved by the High Court, the Administration has preferred to take ‘negative’ action. While awaiting the High Court decision on the matter, the two lakh residents of the Ammunition Depot area are keeping their fingers crossed and hoping that a humanitarian view is taken of their transgressions, because they feel that there is an equal complicity of the property mafia, the revenue department, MCG and the District Administration, which have allowed (and are still allowing) these violations to take place all these years. The Punjab and Haryana High Court would hopefully keep this in mind when delivering judgement. For too long have rotten bureaucrats and their ‘willing’ staff, hand in glove with rotten politicians, walked away unscathed from messes and scams of their creation…and left the vulnerable (literally) out in the cold. Somebody’s got to stop the rot, Your Honours.

A Viable Solution

A high level committee led by the Cabinet Secretary has proposed that the restricted area around the IAF Ammunition Depot should be reduced to 300 meters, so that the houses of a large majority of residents can be saved from demolition. This decision would reduce the ammunition carrying capacity of the Depot by about 15 per cent, which experts say is manageable. Further, the Air Force could use advanced techniques for the storage of ammunition, which could ensure high levels of safety even within a smaller area. A report on this has been submitted by the Committee on October 24th. to the Defence Ministry, and the matter will be discussed in the High Court in the next hearing. Sources say that the Report has acknowledged and tried to address the woes of people living in the area, apart from of course addressing the strategic issues raised by the Air Force. The Report clearly states that it will not be possible to rehabilitate the estimated 14,154 ‘structures’ in the 900 meters (2,325 acres) area. In case the perimeter is reduced to 300 meters (636 acres), only 3,414 would need to be shifted - which is a reasonable possibility.

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