The Hindu : Front Page : Demolition squads back on Mehrauli-Gurgaon Road

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Feb 24, 2006

Front Page

Front Page

Demolition squads back on Mehrauli-Gurgaon Road

Staff Reporter

The axe falls finally on MG13, the biggest mall in the area

BACK IN ACTION: The demolition drive under way on Thursday. — PHOTO: R.V. MOORTHY

NEW DELHI: A week after the Delhi High Court's strict directions not to adopt a "pick and choose" policy while targeting illegal malls on the upmarket Mehrauli-Gurgaon Road, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi on Thursday began demolishing the biggest mall in the area -- MG13 -- which it had sealed on February 10.

Equipped with earth excavators, the civic body's demolition squads accompanied by a large number of Delhi Police and para-military personnel zeroed in on the much talked about "symbol of corruption'' in the morning.

Before starting the drive, the security personnel cordoned off the entire mall while some of them fanned out in adjoining villages to forestall any attempt by residents to resist the action.

Tight security

Once the security arrangements were tightened, the excavators moved in and started demolishing the multi-storeyed mall, while labourers started pulling down the building with hammers.

By evening, some portions of the building were gone and it was decided to continue the drive till the entire mall is razed to the ground.

"After MG13, we will target other malls in the area," said a senior MCD official.

The newly built mall that had come up illegally on rural "Lal Dora" land is spread over nearly 2.5 lakh sq. ft. with space for shops and a theatre. Here many famous fashion designers had booked shops to open their stores.

However, after the demolition of MG1 and MG2 last month, the opening of this mall was postponed.

Moreover, fearing more action from the civic body, shop-owners had started vacating their stores in other shopping complexes in the area.

After razing MG1 and MG2, the demolition squads had gone ahead to target MG13 but then MCD officials claimed that people in the area took to violent protests forcing them to call off the drive.

So they left the scene after sealing the mall.

However, at its hearing last week, the Delhi High Court had expressed its strong displeasure over MCD's defence that the sealing of MG 13 was done due to apprehension of a law and order problem.

"The law cannot be made to dance at the feet of mobocracy, and we know how the mob was mobilised. You (MCD) demolished MG1 and MG2 and just sealed MG13 because it belongs to an influential person. We are not satisfied with the way and the speed with which the demolition is being carried out by the MCD," observed the Division Bench of the Court comprising Justice Vijender Jain and Justice Rekha Sharma.

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