Pandemonium broke out soon after noon time today in Majnu-ka-Tilla (MT) Tibetan settlement as a group of Tibetan residents stood in the way of the employees of the New Delhi Power Limited (NDPL) who were removing the main electricity transformer. But peace was restored after sometime when it became clear that the removal of the transformer had nothing to do with the impending demolition of the settlement. The 400 KV transformer which was unable to bear the load due to rise in the number of Air Conditioner(ACs) users was to be replaced with a higher KV of 630.
Except for this shortlived chaos in the afternoon heat, everything seemed quiet and normal in the colony. People were engaged in business as usual even when it was feared that the actual demolition will take place most probably on June 18 or June 20. People in the guesthouses and on the street refused to speak saying the matter was being handled by the MT Resident Welfare Association (RWA) and the Welfare Office.
But this might turn out to be the lull before the storm if the contents of the Delhi High court order are anything to go by. Phayul approached the office of Public Works Department (PWD) of the Delhi government and gained a clearer picture of the whole situation. According to PWD, the Delhi High Court in an order passed on June 5, 2006 had strongly ordered the removal of all encroachments in the west and east embankment of the Yamuna River. The court asked PWD to evict occupants in the structures built on the River bed or within 300 meters of the edge of the River. The order specifically stated that the Yamuna development project was aimed at providing clean potable drinking water to Delhi public and that it was an important project of the Central government as well with the solid legal support from the Supreme Court which had passed various orders in this regard in the past. Attempts to regularise these unauthorised structures which could serve as an alternative for the MT residents to get relief for the time being might not work as the court order strongly prohibits such actions.
The June 9 eviction notice received by Mr. Rinchen, vice president of MT Resident WElfare Association on behalf of MT residents was sent by PWD which said it was taking action on the court order and gave a week’s time for the residents to leave the area. The stipulated period expires tomorrow according to the RWA authorities but the Tibetans are still hoping that the demolition will not happen. They may have reasons to be hopeful. In the past few days, a delegation of exile Tibetan parliamentarians, MT RWA vice president, the WElfare Officer and local leaders met and petitioned a slew of high profile political leaders including Home Minister Shivraj Patil, Urban Affairs Minister Jaipal Reddy, Congress Party Chief and the ruling UPA chief Sonia Gandhi, Lama Chosphel Zotpa of the National Commission for Minorities and member of Parliament Lama Lobsang. Lama Chosphel Zotpa has reportedly written to concerned authorities on the matter. As of now, the alternatives left with the Tibetans are to petition and wait for official sympathy or to legally appeal against the order in the court. A lawyer has been hired to try the latter option in case petitions fail to bring desired results.
Only time will tell what will happen eventually. Cynical it may sound but on the face of it, things look bleak because MT stands on such a point that it is sandwiched between the Yamuna River and the National Highway-I No. 45, both of which comes under the ambitious development projects of the Indian government. The highway was originally meant to be 300 meters wide but consistent encroachments on either side of the road had led to the present action. The seriousness of the notice can be gauged from the fact that on the first week of May this year, over 1200 Jhuggies on the eastern embankment of the Yamuna river were demolished.
