Olympian, other residents given two days to vacate Civil Lines homes
An Olympian and his Commonwealth medal-winning wife were among the several residents asked to vacate their homes at Khyber Pass in Civil Lines within a span of two days by the Land and Development Office (LNDO) of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.
Like many of the other residents who were handed an eviction notice, Samaresh Jung, an Olympian, Arjuna awardee and coach of the national shooting team, and his wife, Anuja Jung, a Commonwealth gold medallist, said they have been living in the locality since the 1950s.
The LNDO notice stated that the 32 acres of land at Khyber Pass previously owned by the Notified Area Committee was now under its ownership. “This land has been unauthorisedly occupied by squatters and there exists heavy illegal construction on the same,” the notice read.
The notice directed the residents to “vacate all unauthorised occupation and remove illegal construction from the land immediately”, or the houses would be evicted and demolished by the office and other agencies in two days at their expenses. “This office will not be responsible for any loss of property thereof,” it further stated.
Mr. Jung said he returned from the Paris Olympics to find the notice. “After the euphoria of Manu Bhaker winning two Olympic medals, I returned to the disheartening news that my house and locality is to be demolished in two days. There has been no proper information or notice. How can families living here for 75 years vacate by Sunday morning?” he said.
“We understand it is government land, but we are not squatters. Our grandparents were leased this land in the 1950s. We are ready to vacate, but all we ask for is clarity on the matter and a dignified exit,” Ms. Jung told The Hindu.
Despite requests on the matter, there was no response from the LNDO or the supervising Ministry.
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