Indian Express 24.11.2010
MCD brings down curtains on illegal gardens at Anupam Apartments
Hamari Jamatia Tags : Municipal Corporation of Delhi, demolished encroachment, public space Posted: Wed Nov 24 2010, 05:58 hrs
New Delhi: The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) on Monday demolished encroachment on public space at Anupam Apartments, Saket. Most of the structures that were removed were illegal ‘gardens’ that residents of 204 DDA SFS flats had made over the years. These green add on were mostly extended beyond the allotted area, eating into the road space and other areas meant for public use.According to sources, the MCD action came after a few residents complained against the encroachments that led to parking problems. “More than parking issues, it was about encroachments on space meant for public use,” said RK Kapur, president of apartment’s Residents’ Welfare Association.
Though many hailed the civic agency’s move, it is yet to be seen for how long the area remains clear of encroachments before the gardens grow back again. Recently, Saket’s A-Block had also witnessed a similar drive by the MCD, but within a month the demolished ‘gardens’ were blooming again. According to MCD Deputy Commissioner (South Zone) S K Midha, the civic agency at times overlooks such ‘extensions’, in cases where no inconvenience is caused to others. He, however, added that the MCD has been cracking down on colonies in the past few months. “In colonies, people use the already small roads for putting up potted plants that eat into the roads. It leads to a lot of inconvenience and so the action was taken.”
The MCD team was accompanied by the Delhi Police personnel when it arrived for the demolitions on Monday afternoon. No prior notice was given to the residents about the action. On Tuesday, when Newsline visted the area, all houses on the ground floor had broken bricks and cement piled up near them. Several workers were busy collecting the rubble and clearing the area.
As for the residents, some are happy that public space has been cleared, while others rue the fact that greenery had to give way. “There is no right and wrong here. On the one hand the MCD is just doing its job, but greenery is also important,” said a resident whose extension was demolished.
The Anupam Apartments were built in 1988 in two phases and after possession, people began extending allotted areas on the ground floor with such gardens. This resulted in complaints to the MCD as over the years the number of cars in the colony has increased without a proportional increase in parking space.
