User talk:Jaisingh832011

British Era Cemetery near North Campus, Delhi devoured by Land Mafia of North Delhi

It is a dead man’s land in Delhi’s dictionary, supposedly not suitable for human habitation. But multi-storeyed structures on the premises of Rajpura cemetery not only tell a sad story of human greed but also apathy of authorities for the past 19 years. Established in 1857, the three acres of burial ground near Patel Chest have now been grabbed by people. British soldiers who had sacrificed their lives in the line of duty, lie buried there. In 1911 Queen Mary and King George V came to Delhi and made it the Capital. The cemetery had a boundary wall and people used to fear this place. The area was not developed. But in 1947 migrants from Pakistan resided in Kingsway Camp in tents and barracks. The barracks developed into a colony and later Delhi saw the development of Vijay Nagar, Mukherjee Nagar, Hudson Line, Reads Line, Outram Line and Advert Line and people started a roadside business near the cemetery. Slowly and steadily, they moved into the cemetery and managed to construct houses at this place. The situation worsened when unscrupulous people and land grabbers flooded the area. Henry James was the first man to enter this place. One of the oldest residents of this area know about the illegal activities being carried out at this place. People have built their houses on the graves and some have broken the graves too. Many filed a case in court but none of the authorities turned up in court and hence the writ petition was dismissed. The other residents abuse the investigators. Many still want that the Archaeological Survey of India or some other authorities should protect the graves that have been left untouched”. The area has small-scale factories, book houses, guesthouses, a cyber café, a scooter repair outfit, a church and a hotel. Also, students are staying here as the university is near. Many foreign visitors inquire about the graveyard but they are in a small number. But still we should not disgrace the dead like this. Many former politicians also have constructed their houses here and tried to regularise the area but failed. The MCD, the ASI and the DDA have no clue as to whom the area belongs to. Some people got the ‘tehbazari’ allotted by the MCD. The MCD officials say that the area outside the cemetery falls under their jurisdiction but not the premises. Graves and tombs can still be viewed here easily. In 1975, the plots were allotted to residents of Christian Colony in “Mangolpuri” but in 1979 they came back to this place. In 1980 the boundary wall of the area was demolished and shops were established. On September 23, 2001, demolition took place outside the graveyard but encroachments have come up again. Earlier, sex workers and people taking drugs were caught at this place. The police, municipal authorities and all top officials are informed from time to time but they are reluctant to do anything about it. Whose land is it anyway?