By Martin Shwenk Leade

Copyright indiatimes

AgenciesRepresentational image

People of Mehram Nagar, a village adjoining the Indira Gandhi International Airport are in a spot of bother after receiving eviction notices from the National Security Guard. The force claims the area and has asked the residents to vacate their homes by September 30. This has resulted in widespread protest as over 15,000 people are set to be affected by the notices issued in the second week of February. The people gathered in their colony in protest and resist the “unjust order”. They claim to have been living in the area for generations and say that the government cannot remove them overnight.Dara Singh, a resident collecting details of those who are affected, told TOI, “I am the sixth generation living here. My father was born here. His parents used to live near the ground where Terminal 1 exists now. My grandparents moved here to East Mehram Nagar village after the Indira Gandhi Airport was established there.” Meanwhile, the Delhi High Court has stayed NSG’s order until December 16, providing some relief to the citizens. However, residents are worried. There are several posters and banners across the village, which accuse the NSG of high-headedness. Live EventsPeople fear that the authorities could pressure them to leave even after the stay. The community has a history of being displaced. In 1962, 60 flats were given to families when they were shifted from western Mehram Nagar. As families expanded, people built new homes in clusters. “At that time nobody flagged it as an issue. Now, after four de-cades of living here, we are being asked to move out,” Anil Kumar, a resident whose family hadbeen among those allotted flats told TOI. The battle is not just about land but also about heritage and community. Jwala Kumar Singh, Anil’s 80-year-old father, told TOI, “When NSG came in1986 for the first time, they settled in our village’s cremation ground, pushing us outfrom there as well. Now, they have come back to take away our homes in 2025.”He said that back then, the security forces had prevented him from taking bodies to the cremation ground. The residents of Mehram have gained support from the outside. Heads of 36 communities and people from 360 villages have joined a mahapanchayat held in Mehram Nagar, unanimously demanding that the NSG withdraw its eviction orderimmediately.The NSG claims that the land belongs to it legally. An official, requesting anonymity, told TOI, “Thesepeople have no valid document to prove their claim on the land as the Delhi Cantonment Board transferred theland to NSG in 1986.” He added. The NSG had earlier reached out to the people, telling villagers about it but finally sent eviction notices. As 75-year-old Sona Devi said, “My grandfather died here, so did my father…. My son of 55 passed away here, and now I am being asked to leave the place that I known for all my life.”(With TOI inputs)Add as a Reliable and Trusted News Source Add Now!
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