NCR village residents to hold indefinite dharna at Jantar Mantar

Residents of villages in Delhi and the NCR have announced that they will begin an indefinite protest at Jantar Mantar on October 6 until their issues are resolved. Palam 360 chief Chaudhary Surender Solanki, who is leading the protest, said the villagers were protesting the lack of basic facilities, forcing them to live in a deplorable condition.

Solanki said, “The city's villages are facing the worst civic woes with waterlogged streets, broken roads, poor sewerage, improper garbage disposal, overflowing drains and other sanitation issues.”

Earlier, the villagers had thanked Delhi Lt Governor VK Saxena for accepting their demands to reopen the mutation process and lift restrictions on electricity meter installation in villages.

Solanki, however, said the remaining issues were also crucial for the rural population. Their demands include ownership rights to poor farmers, alternative plots for those whose lands were acquired, ancestral property ownership rights under the Swamitva Scheme, development of smart villages and halt on sealing and demolition.

The mahapanchayat of Delhi villages had announced on September 15 that if something was not done regarding other issues, they would begin an indefinite dharna.