Outraged by rogue builders in Allahabad

04 July, 2012

Incidentally, the Nagar Ayukta played foul with the traders when the Maya regime had gone out of power, and the present Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Akhilesh had yet to take over.

IT WAS virtually a 'no-man's' regime? The same thing was repeated the other day, when the DIG had been transferred and the new SSP had not yet taken over. Taking advantage of this uncertainty one builder played foul at midnight the other day. It was because of him that terror struck the residential area behind the Civil Lines Roadways Bus Station.

The builder with half a dozen armed men brought JCB machines to demolish a house in which a lone lady Shanti Devi was staying. They apparently got the information that the woman was not at home. Actually she was sick and was in hospital for the previous two days taking treatment for a heart ailment. The intruders managed to demolish the frontage of the house but before they could do more damage the people of the neighborhood woke up and raised a big hue and cry. They protested against the forced demolition. The police had to intervene and the demolition was stopped. Who the builder was? Whether he had the authority to demolish the house or were they just intruders out to grab the land when they knew that the victim was lying sick in hospital and the new police had not taken over?

It is quite obvious that if the builder concerned was acting legally he wouldn't have waited for, midnight to sneak in with the JCBs. With legitimate orders in hand, he could easily have gone there with police force and had the house vacated. If this was not done it showed that the builder was guilty. The people of the area, who led the protests, should be knowing who he is. Have they proceeded further in the matter? This could one day disturb the peace of, the area if the cops do not promptly act and stop the defaulters from doing any further damage without legal documents. This midnight knock by builders used to be a notorious reality in the past. It would be best for the new administrators to think about the feasibility of banning the movement of all JCBs between dusk and dawn.

That way, forcible eviction of lawful occupants from their houses by the dangerous elements among builders lobby will not be possible. In the past the police had acquired a very notorious reputation when it would tear off even) High Court orders granted in favor of a party and, then allow the aggressive party to demolish the building, claiming that they had not received any orders. This was done usually on a Saturday evening so that the aggrieved party may not be able to approach the court. We hope that those horrible days will not be revived.