Bulldozers rolled into the high-profile Sainik Farms locality in South Delhi, razing multiple under-construction farmhouses as part of a focused demolition drive conducted by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) from 24 to 26 April.
The crackdown, undertaken with support from Delhi Police, targeted structures in Saidualajaib village—an area subsumed within the Sainik Farms region—where the DDA asserts legal land ownership. Several luxury farmhouses, some spread across more than two bighas, were brought down following directives from Delhi’s Lieutenant Governor V.K. Saxena, who also chairs the DDA. The operation has once again ignited the capital’s long-simmering debate over unauthorised colonies—an issue rooted in decades of unregulated urban expansion, electoral compulsions, and unresolved legal status. These unplanned settlements, home to nearly 50 lakh people, extend across approximately 175 square kilometres, often lacking formal access to civic amenities, infrastructure, or legal land rights. Sainik Farms, despite its affluence, remains among the most controversial of such colonies. Its exclusion from the 2019 PM-UDAY scheme (Pradhan Mantri Unauthorised Colonies in Delhi Awas Adhikar Yojana), which aimed to regularise 1,731 unauthorised colonies, has raised sharp criticism. Observers note that while the scheme focused largely on working-class neighbourhoods, it avoided politically and legally contentious zones like Sainik Farms, whose ownership patterns and land use have been mired in disputes.
Legal scrutiny has intensified in recent months. In April, the Delhi High Court flagged the government’s ambiguity around Sainik Farms’ legal status. The bench urged both the Centre and the Delhi government to present a cohesive stand on regularisation, reflecting growing judicial impatience with policy indecision. Adding to the pressure, BJP MP Ramvir Singh Bidhuri raised the issue in Parliament earlier this year, advocating for the inclusion of 69 upscale yet unauthorised colonies, including Sainik Farms, under the PM-UDAY framework. Bidhuri argued that denying legal recognition to these neighbourhoods not only penalises long-term residents but also deprives the city of orderly infrastructure planning and sustainable development. The recent demolitions underscore a shift in enforcement posture, particularly under the current DDA leadership. Yet, they also expose the lack of a uniform urban housing policy that addresses both the affluent and marginalised settlements, ensuring access to clean water, waste management, green spaces, and equitable civic rights—irrespective of socio-economic class.
As Delhi continues its transition into a modern, sustainable metropolis, the question remains whether reactive demolition drives can replace long-term planning, inclusive urban design, and environmental stewardship. In a city that often negotiates legality with lived realities, bulldozers may clear land—but they rarely resolve policy voids.
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Bulldozers target illegal homes in Sainik Farms
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