DDA offers to move Uttarakhand tunnel rescue hero to temporary accommodation, he declines
New Delhi (PTI): Hours after razing his house in a demolition drive, DDA offered to move Wakeel Hassan, a rat-hole miner who was part of the Silkyara tunnel rescue operation, and his family to a temporary accommodation but he declined the offer, sources said on Thursday.
Hassan told PTI that Delhi Development Authority (DDA) officials also told him that he would soon be provided a house in the Govindpuri area but he refused to accept the offer as it was only a "verbal assurance".
Some TV channels showed Hassan and his family sitting and having dinner amid the rubble of what used to be their home.
He spent the night on a footpath with his wife and their two children. The family's neighbours' provided them food and other necessary items.
Hassan's house was razed in a demolition drive carried out by the DDA in northeast Delhi's Khajoori Khas area. Several other houses were demolished during the drive.
In a video message released on Wednesday, Hassan said his house had been demolished, rendering him and his family homeless.
Not long ago, the rat-hole miner was feted for his role in rescuing with his team 41 workers trapped in Uttarkashi's Silkyara tunnel in November last year.
A DDA source told PTI that agency officials met Hassan on Wednesday night.
"Some DDA officials went to the demolition site and offered to move Hassan and his family to a temporary accommodation but he refused the offer," the source said.
Meanwhile, Hassan said he wants authorities to make their offer in writing.
"Around midnight, some DDA officers came and offered to shift me and my family to a guest house in Vasant Kunj," Hassan told PTI.
He claimed the DDA officials also told him that "a house will also be provided in the Govindpuri area soon, but I refused to accept their offer because the assurance was verbal".
Hassan had alleged on Wednesday that no notice was served to him before the demolition.
"We rescued 41 people from the Silkyara tunnel and got this in return. Earlier, I had requested the authorities and the government to give this house to me but to no avail. Today, without any (prior) information, DDA (officials) came and demolished it," he had said.
The DDA had said the demolition drive was carried out on land that was "part of planned development land".
Police said several structures built illegally were demolished during the drive.
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Voting underway for local body elections in Gujarat
Ahmedabad (PTI): Voting got underway on Sunday morning for elections to several local bodies in Gujarat, including 15 municipal corporations and 84 municipalities.
Polling began at 7 am and will continue till 6 pm, as per the schedule announced by the State Election Commission.
The elections are being held for 15 municipal corporations, including Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara and Rajkot, 84 municipalities, 34 district panchayats and 260 taluka panchayats, making it one of the largest electoral exercises in the state.
A total of 9,992 candidates are in the fray, with more than 4.18 crore voters eligible to exercise their franchise.
A three-tier security is in place, aided by CCTV surveillance and deployment of special squads in sensitive areas, police officials said.
The polls are being conducted under revised norms for Other Backward Classes (OBC) reservations, and required extensive delimitation and restructuring of wards in several districts.
The ruling BJP, Opposition Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) have emerged as the key players, while All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) is also contesting in several places.
Among notable candidates are former Gujarat-cadre IPS officer M L Ninama, ex-radio jockey Abha Desai, and former AAP MLA Bhupendra Bhayani.
Ninama is contesting from the Odh seat in Shamlaji taluka for the Arvalli district panchayat elections, while the BJP has nominated Bhayani from the Bhesan seat of the Junagadh district panchayat.
Desai, popularly known as RJ Abha, is contesting as a Congress candidate from ward number 10 of the Rajkot Municipal Corporation.
Elections are also being held for the first time in nine newly-created municipal corporations, including Navsari, Gandhidham, Morbi, Vapi, Anand, Nadiad, Mehsana, Porbandar and Surendranagar.
Counting of votes will take place on April 28.
Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel campaigned extensively for the BJP.
The AAP had taken the lead over other parties in launching the campaign, with its national convenor, Arvind Kejriwal, and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann addressing several rallies across Gujarat.
In a first for AAP, the Kejriwal-led party is contesting around 5,000 seats in local polls.
Other contestants include the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Independents.
AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi campaigned in the final phase, addressing public meetings in Ahmedabad and Bhuj.
In March 2021, the BJP scored a landslide win in the local polls in Gujarat, winning 6,236 out of 8,470 seats across various municipalities and establishing a wide gap with rival Congress.
The BJP had then dominated all six municipal corporations, besides 81 municipalities, 32 district panchayats, and 231 taluka panchayats.
