Sir, would you let be, in the name of CWG, such brazen 'land grab' in the river bed by an agency of the state itself ? (YJA- Letter to LG 17 Nov 2010)

To,

Sri Tejendra Khanna,

Hon'ble Lt GovernorDELHI

17 Nov 2010

Respected Sir,

Greetings.

Please allow us to bring to your kind attention an admission by DTC of its clear intent of disrespecting your orders under which the land in the river bed was allotted to the DTC for temporary use for the period of the CWG 2010. It has now been a full month since the CWG 2010 concluded. To our query regarding the plans of the DTC regarding this bus depot post CWG 2010, the response dated 16.11.2010 goes on to inform us:

"Planning for post Commonwealth Games are as under:

1. Area falling in Logistic X-ray screening Centre will be utilised by Transport Deptt. for parking of cluster buses.

2. Remaining area is being divided into 4 parts for operation of 4 bus depots consisting of 200 buses each for city and NCR operation".

In short DTC has clearly admitted that it has no intent whatsoever, to vacate the river bed spread over 61 acres which was put in its possession under your honour's specific orders with very stringent and specific conditions which included the vacation of the river bed post CWG 2010.

This brazen admission of totally illegal, unauthorised, unethical and unjust, ill-intent by the DTC leaves us wondering if there is any democratic space left for the civil society to prevent such predatory take over of the common lands - like the river bed - by the agencies of the state themselves? What value are your honour's words and commitments? And if this is the state of respect accorded to your words by the agencies of your own government then is the common citizen living in a state that is marked by total lawlessness let loose by the state itself?

Such state of affairs make your honour's and all other leader's and officials - who wasted no time in visiting the site of the building collapse in east Delhi - promises of bringing the culprits of recent tragedy in east Delhi to book sound so very hollow and meaningless? Does public safety and interest remain any concern of the state functionaries any more?

Sir, kindly pardon us for airing our frustration and helpnessness in the manner above. And yet we remain firm in our belief in your honour's sense of fairness and justice. Please do not prove us wrong !

Warm regards,

manoj misra

Convener

Yamuna Jiye Abhiyan