DDA postpones demolition drive in Majnu Ka Tila
New Delhi, Jul 13: The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) has deferred the demolition drive on the Yamnua flood plain near the Majnu Ka Tila gurdwara, sources said on Saturday.
According to a senior police officer, a demolition drive was conducted at Khyber Pass near Civil Lines to remove encroachment on Saturday.
Some temporary structures which were illegally made on the lands of Land and Development Office were demolished, police said.
Dharamveer Solanki, a Pakistani refugee who lives in Majnu Ka Tila area, said the demolition party was yet to reach his area.
"The DDA are yet to reach Majnu ka Tila. They have started the demolition near Vidhan Sabha area," Solanki said.
The DDA had in a public notice on Thursday said it will undertake a demolition drive in the area on July 13 and 14.
People in Majnu Ka Tila, where there is a sizable population of Pakistani Hindus, said they received the notice from the land owning agency late Thursday evening asking them to vacate the area by Friday.
The notice referred to the National Green Tribunal's April 3 order and the Delhi High Court's March 12 order behind the move.
"In the compliance of order, it is proposed to organise a demolition drive against the encroachment in the river Yamuna flood plain area near south of Gurudwara Majnu Ka Tila (Western Bank) on Saturday and Sunday," the DDA notice read.
The affected families can take temporary harbour at Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB) shelters, it had said.
"Hence, the residents of the area are hereby requested to vacate the area by July 12 otherwise they will be self-responsible for any loss due to demolition drive against the encroachment on July 13 or later," the notice stated.
In its April 3 order, the NGT had said that the status report filed by the DDA did not disclose any substantial effective steps by the agency for removing the encroachment from the area.
The NGT asked the agency to file a compliance report at least one week before the next date of hearing, which is July 15, by e-mail.
Ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, some refugees living in Majnu Ka Tila were given citizenship certificates under the Citizenship Amendment Act.
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41 lakh illicit liquor seized, 1.84 lakh arrested in major drive: K'taka Minister tells Assembly
Belagavi (Karnataka) (PTI): The Karnataka Excise Department has conducted a statewide crackdown on illegal liquor trade over the last two years, resulting in arrests and seizures of alcohol, Karnataka Excise Minister R B Timmapur said on Tuesday.
As many as 1,09,017 people were arrested, and seizures included 13.66 lakh litres of liquor and 27.19 lakh litres of beer, he said in a written reply to a starred question by Harihar BJP MLA B P Harish in the Karnataka Assembly.
The Minister said the enforcement drive covered the financial year 2023–24, 2024–25 up to June, and 2025–26 from July to October, targeting unauthorised liquor manufacture, storage, sale and transportation across the State.
"During this period, statewide enforcement drives resulted in a total of 1,84,570 raids against illegal liquor sales,” Timmapur said.
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He noted that 9,179 non-bailable cases and 91,968 bailable and compoundable cases under Section 15(A) of the Karnataka Excise Act, 1965, were registered during the same period.
According to him, there have been no reports indicating that students have become addicted to alcohol due to illegal liquor sales.
The sale of alcohol to minors is strictly prohibited under the Karnataka Excise Act, 1965, and the department has issued periodic instructions to initiate legal action against violators, with strict enforcement and investigation measures in place, the Minister said.
Excise officials are carrying out regular road and night patrols, collecting intelligence, monitoring habitual offenders and conducting raids to identify illicit distillation units, unauthorised liquor outlets and spurious liquor manufacturing centres, he said, adding the department is also enforcing the law to prevent the production, storage, sale and transport of spurious, non-duty-paid and unauthorised liquor.
Regular patrols are being conducted on national and state highways, with suspicious vehicles being subjected to checks.
At the district level, standing committee meetings are held under the chairmanship of Deputy Commissioners, and joint operations are carried out with the police and forest departments to curb excise-related offences.
The department is also conducting awareness programmes through Gram Sabhas and in schools and colleges to educate the public and students about the physical, mental and social health hazards associated with alcohol addiction and substance abuse, Timmapur added.
