The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) rolled its bulldozers through the illegal settlement at Yamuna Bazar on Thursday amid heavy security. According to reports from Hindustan Times, the area is classified as part of the Yamuna floodplain and falls within Delhi's protected O-zone. As bulldozers moved in, residents scrambled to salvage their belongings, with eviction notices issued to 310 families in the colony giving residents 15 days to vacate. The settlement was classified as an 'illegal encroachment' on the Yamuna floodplains in the O-zone, an environmentally sensitive area where construction is strictly prohibited.
The Delhi government declared the ecologically sensitive 9,700-hectare area from Wazirabad in north Delhi to Okhla in the south as the Yamuna floodplain, calling it the O-zone. As reported by Business Standard, this 165-square-kilometre stretch acts as a natural buffer to absorb floodwaters and recharge groundwater. The Master Plan prohibits most residential development in the O-zone, with courts repeatedly directing authorities to prevent fresh encroachments and unauthorised construction. The floodplain now contains several settlements across colonies such as Jharoda, Sangam Vihar, Wazirabad, Jagatpur, Noor Colony, Deepanshu Colony and Milan Vihar.
According to the National Green Tribunal (NGT), about 230,000 households in the zone were not connected to a sewer network, implying that sewage from these areas was flowing untreated into the Yamuna. As reported by Business Standard, the floodplain contains several settlements across colonies, with signboards creating anxiety among residents who fear action by authorities. The legal position remains restrictive, with the Delhi High Court ruling in its May 26 order that colonies in the zone were not eligible for regularisation and no ownership rights were being granted.
Following a Delhi court order, the DDA issued a public notice stating it would remove encroachments from the Yamuna floodplains, with the long-term objective to restore the ecological character of the O-zone. According to Business Standard, Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Manohar Lal announced the regularisation of unauthorised colonies in Delhi on an 'as is, where is' basis, expected to benefit around 4-4.5 million residents by extending legal property rights. However, the O-zone remains one of the few categories of unauthorised settlements excluded from this regularisation push, with residents caught between environmental protection rules, court orders, demolition notices and political assurances.
