AAP launches campaign to protect five lakh Yamuna O-Zone residents from demolition

On Tuesday, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) launched a month-long signature campaign demanding legal protection for over five lakh residents living in 91 unauthorized colonies within the ecologically sensitive O-Zone of the Yamuna river floodplains in Delhi. The campaign, announced by AAP Delhi chief Saurabh Bharadwaj, seeks to urge the Central government to enact a law safeguarding these homes from demolition.

The signature drive will target residents living in affected colonies spread across several assembly constituencies, including Burari, Timarpur, Karawal Nagar, Okhla, and Badarpur. AAP party MLAs, councillors, leaders, and workers will go door-to-door to collect signatures, which will eventually be submitted to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to demand protective legislation in Parliament.

The O-Zone is designated as an ecologically sensitive area on the Yamuna river floodplains where construction is strictly prohibited. Despite this, more than five lakh people currently reside in 91 unauthorized colonies established in the region.

The legal uncertainty for these residents intensified following a Delhi High Court observation on May 23. The court stated that residential colonies in the region are "completely impermissible" and noted that the 91 unauthorized colonies only hold temporary protection from punitive action until December 31 of this year.

In response to the growing concern, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta announced last week that no demolitions would be carried out on existing constructions. Gupta maintained that the High Court’s concerns were directed solely at fresh or ongoing construction activities.

However, AAP Delhi chief Saurabh Bharadwaj dismissed the Chief Minister's statements. He asserted that verbal promises from the government cannot be trusted, claiming that demolitions have continued to take place daily in areas such as Jaitpur, Burari, and Timarpur.

Bharadwaj emphasized that thousands of families have lived in these O-Zone colonies for decades and are now facing deep uncertainty regarding their homes. The signature campaign is expected to run for approximately one month.