Delhi civic bodies planning to raze over 2,600 unauthorised colonies, claims Manish Sisodia

Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Thursday alleged that the BJP, which is ruling the three civic bodies here, was planning to raze constructions in 1,750 unauthorised irregular and 860 slum colonies. Addressing a press conference here, Sisodia also said the BJP-ruled municipalities -- south, north and east -- had issued notices to nearly three lakh people in the last two years. There was no immediate response from the Delhi BJP to Sisodia's allegations.

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In the last 17 years, BJP leaders in the civic bodies, councillors and mayors, and engineers "amassed money" by allowing illegal construction to flourish only to serve them notices now, Sisodia alleged. "The BJP has made a plan to run bulldozers in 1,750 unauthorised colonies and 860 Jhuggi Jhopadi (slum) colonies because these are illegal. First, their councillors allowed illegal construction and made money and now they want to demolish them. The BJP should first run bulldozers on houses of their councillors who allowed such illegal constructions," he said.

The deputy chief minister also said he will write a letter to the Centre to not resort to such tactics. "On one hand, you (Centre) talk of regularising illegal colonies, while on the other your MCDs give notices for demolition action. I will write a letter to the Centre on this," he added. His remarks came after an anti-encroachment drive of the South Delhi Municipal Corporation, scheduled in areas near Shaheen Bagh, was cancelled on Thursday due to lack of availability of adequate police force.

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