Resident of 360 villages surrounding Delhi sat on an indefinite dharna at the Jantar Mantar on Sunday to voice their concern over their long pending issues including civic negligence.
The protesting villagers, led by Palam 360 chief Surender Solanki, were later, towards the evening, detained by the police only to be released later.
The villagers demanded solutions to their long-standing problems which, they said, have made their lives miserable.
Solanki lamented that the villages are being neglected and the rural belt violated time and again. He warned those who would overlook the villagers won’t be allowed to enter the villages during the upcoming elections.
Solanki said hundreds of people including women were arrested from the Jantar Mantar before being released. They say they are frustrated by the lack of basic amenities in the villages so much so that they have turned into slums with people forced to bear with water-logged streets, broken roads and poor sanitation.
Solanki said the rural areas of Delhi have been facing difficulties for many years but now they have decided to sit on an indefinite ‘dharna’ until their problems are fully resolved. “We will continue our movement until a complete solution is found,” the Khap chief added.
Echoing collective frustration of the villagers, he said, “We gave the authorities 15 days to address our grievances. Now, we’re forced to sit on an indefinite dharna.”
He sought immediate action from Delhi’s Lieutenant Governor, Central Government, former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, and Delhi Government to resolve the long-pending issues and address the civic woes of the villagers.
He regretted that despite villagers’ significant contribution to Delhi’s growth and development, they remain neglected. “Broken roads, waterlogging, filthy drains, and overflowing sewers have become the norm. Residents live in constant fear of diseases and mishaps,” he added.
He said the villagers now seek transformative change, not mere assurances, and added that it has been decided to completely boycott the upcoming Delhi Assembly elections if the issues are not resolved promptly.
“No political leader will be allowed to campaign in Delhi’s villages,” he declared.
He further said, “We have no animosity towards any party but will vehemently oppose any party that ignores our problems. We will welcome any party that addresses our concerns,” he said.
On September 15, they held a Mahapanchayat at the Jantar Mantar which marked a determined struggle for the people of Delhi’s 360 villages.
Solanki, leading the residents of the villages, was supported by people from the rural belt gathered in large numbers that included women and elderly, who voiced their long pending issues.
“We will not back down,” Solanki declared. “Our fight for basic rights and dignity will continue until victory,” he added.
The villagers had expressed gratitude towards the Lieutenant Governor over resolving some issues like starting of mutation of properties and also making it easier for fixing of electricity meters, however, they have said that their movement will continue till all their long pending issues are not resolved fully.
City’s rural belt says that for years, Delhi’s villages suffered from crippling neglect, with crumbling roads, inadequate infrastructure, and scarcity of essential services, which has plagued daily life, and now the patience of the villagers wore thin.
Meanwhile, the villagers who gathered at the Jantar Mantar in the afternoon were asked by the police in the evening to wrap up the protest as the permission for the gathering was till 5 pm, as per court guidelines, and added that they could apply fresh and voice their issues.