Everyone saw what happened recently in Dharali town of Uttarakhand. When the mountain river Kheer Ganga took its old form, it caused havoc. This is what happens when nature returns to its original form. But we humans settle in the path of the river, and those who have the responsibility to stop it, they only see votes in the people living there. The result is the same as what happened with Dharali.
At the same time, the Yamuna river has been giving similar signals repeatedly on the doorstep of Delhi for the last two-three years. Here, due to the construction in the area of the river, the water is getting diverted and heading towards areas where it should not go. According to the report filed in NGT by the Environment Department of the Delhi Government, seven illegal colonies are settled in the Khadar area itself, which are enough to spoil the course of the Yamuna. Many constructions done in Khadar by declaring them legal have also spoiled the shape of the river. Obviously, political ambition is responsible for this.
For decades, every party in power has allowed people to settle on the banks of the Yamuna for the sake of a vote bank. And naturally, the people of Delhi have to bear the brunt of this. When the Yamuna river swells, money and resources have to be spent to evacuate the people living in the khadar, build relief camps for them, and arrange for food. Since the ruling party always sees only a vote bank in this settlement, some facilities are provided to them when flood-like situations arise.
Seven colonies, three thousand concrete houses
The Yamuna has an area of 9,700 hectares over 22 kilometers from Wazirabad to Okhla Barrage. Congress has been in power for the longest time in Delhi. BJP and AAP also spent a fair amount of time in power. Now BJP is in power again. The process of encroachment and illegal settlement in the Yamuna continued under the government of every party.
At the same time, the spread area of the river became a stronghold of completely illegal colonies. There were superficial efforts to remove them, but no concrete steps were taken. As a result, seven residential areas including Yamuna Bazaar, Monastery, Vishwakarma Colony, have settled in Yamuna Khadar area.
Most of the families settled in Yamuna Bazaar who perform pooja-paath at the ghat there. The monastery became a market. More than three thousand concrete houses have been built in these seven colonies, and more than 22 thousand people are living there. There is no count of slums in the Khadar area. According to the draft of Master Plan-2041, at present, 35 percent of the Khadar area is under encroachment.
Claim of freeing 621 hectares of the Khadar area
DDA claims that it has freed 621 hectares (1,536 acres) of the Khadar area from encroachment in two years. It mentions the removal of slums, religious structures and destruction of fields from many places including Asita East, Mayur Nature Park, Joga Bai Extension, Vasudev Ghat, Asita West, Yamuna Vanasthali. But the reality is that many of these places have already been resettled.
There are more than 2500 slums on the land of Mayur Nature Park in front of Mayur Vihar Phase-1. Relief camps have been set up for these people these days. If the water level of the Yamuna suddenly rises, there is a possibility of a Dharali-like danger for illegal colonies.
The illegal constructions in Khadar are responsible for the situation created by the rising water level of the Yamuna in Delhi. Khadar is the flood area of the river; if someone encloses it, then water will definitely flow out. Because illegal construction blocks the path of the river. Feet of water make their own place elsewhere. - Dr. Anil Gupta, Environmentalist
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