As many as 683 government properties, evacuated by former residents who migrated to Pakistan during Partition, have become the subject of legal strife.
Some of the said properties, classified as evacuee properties and managed by the Department of Land and Building under the Delhi Government, are located at prime locations like Gole Market, Jantar Mantar and Karol Bagh, to name a few.
About 3,500 built up evacuee properties were transferred by Union Ministry of Rehabilitation to the erstwhile Municipal Corporation of Delhi for slum clearance during 1962 to 1974. These properties were transferred with the condition that these be utilised for specific purpose of slum clearance and not for any other.
Their ownership is, usually, hotly contested and a recent Right to Information (RTI) reply from the Land and Building branch has revealed a case which establishes illegal occupation of one such evacuee property located in North Delhi’s Karol Bagh over several generations.
The said property, as per the RTI, has been subjected to changed ownership by three different owners. When it was a vacant plot, it was auctioned, but finally not disposed of as its sale certificate was not issued. An inspection revealed that it became the subject of “unauthorised occupancy” by a tenant who had been staying there for over a decade.
In March 2014, the current occupant was found to be staying there in an unauthorised manner, in addition to being found to having made unauthorised construction in its premises. A notice dated March 6 was issued to the current occupant to show cause as to why he should not be evicted from the said property.
Although the notice was served, the said occupant neither responded to the directions of appearing before the Department nor was any reply filed by him.
Evacuated by former residents who migrated to Pakistan during Partition, these are located in prime areas like Gole Market, Jantar Mantar, Karol Bagh
