The countdown has begun for the 108-odd families living in Block 15 in East Delhi’s sensitive Trilokpuri area.
After fighting for more than three years, they now have just the end of this month to vacate their houses, some of them four-storey high. The Muslim dominated block near the locality’s Mother Dairy booth is to be demolished by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) for building its under-construction Mukundpur - Shiv Vihar corridor (Pink Line).
“We have been asked to vacate the flats and stay on rent until the new houses are built for us at the park in front. There was no other way, they did not listen to us. We had to give in,” said Ajmal Khan, one of the residents of the block.
Quick work
The metro viaduct cuts through Block 15 and these families are being relocated in the “green belt” land in front of Blocks 15, 16, 17 and 18. Completion of the new houses there is slated to take another year, until that time the DMRC has promised to pay for the rent of the residents. The residents, however, rue that the money is far too less.
According to the DMRC, construction of the affected viaduct will start after the vacation of the quarters and will be completed in six months, subject to the demolition of the existing quarters in Block 15.
“The construction work for relocation work has started in consultation with the police. The construction of viaduct at the affected portion will start after the residents are shifted to rented accommodations. The length of the affected portion of viaduct is 286 meters,” said a DMRC official.
The corporation added that evictions have to be completed by June as the High Court, in February, had given the residents four month’s time to vacate the area. With incidents of riots in the area, the activities are being carried out under the vigilance of the police.
On June 13, 2014, the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB) had allotted land measuring 11,138 sq.mt to the DMRC for relocation of affected quarters in front of Block 15,16, 17 and 18 in Trilokpuri. There are three plots namely A1, A2 and A3 which have been allotted to DMRC. However, due to resistance from the local residents the work could not be started at the said plots.
