DDMA orders 'illegal' occupants to vacate Yamuna floodplain area within 15 days

New Delhi: Eviction notices have been issued to 52 "illegal" occupants residing in unsafe structures within the flood-control boundary wall along Yamuna Bazar ghats, with authorities saying that encroachment on the floodplains poses a serious threat to life, property and public safety.

In a post on X on Saturday, the district magistrate (Old Delhi) said flooding in 2023 and 2025 had prompted large-scale relief operations in the area, putting heavy strain on public resources.

"Illegal occupation in Yamuna flood plains (O-Zone) poses a serious threat to life, property and public safety. Repeated flooding in 2023 and 2025 led to large-scale relief operations, putting heavy strain on public resources," the post said.

It further said preventive action is essential to safeguard human lives and restore the Yamuna floodplains.

The remarks came days after the DDMA issued eviction notices to around 300 "illegal" households in Yamuna Bazar area on May 7, directing them to vacate the encroached floodplain land within 15 days.

According to the notice, an illegal residential cluster comprising around 310 dwellings exists within the flood-control wall along the Yamuna banks in the O-Zone, a protected no-construction floodplain owned by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA).

"The same is being inundated during Yamuna floods every year thereby posing a serious threat to the loss of human life, cattle and property," the notice stated.

Invoking powers under Section 34 of the Disaster Management Act, 2005, the DDMA directed residents occupying the encroached area to remove their belongings and vacate the premises voluntarily within 15 days of issuance of the notice.

It warned that failure to comply would lead to demolition action without further notice.

The action came a week after Delhi Lt Governor Taranjit Singh Sandhu chaired a review meeting with DDA officials on the progress of rejuvenation works in the Yamuna Bazar area following his visit there, along with Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, last month.

During the meeting, Sandhu directed officials to ensure robust flood mitigation measures for the low-lying area, which frequently faces waterlogging during the monsoon and disrupts traffic movement along the Ring Road.