Wakeel Hassan, a rat-hole miner celebrated for his role in rescuing 41 workers trapped in a collapsed tunnel in Uttarakhand, is now homeless after his home in New Delhi was demolished by authorities.
The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) conducted a demolition drive in Khajoori Khas on Feb. 28, displacing several residents, including Hassan. He and his team were called to the Silkyara tunnel in Uttarakhand last November after other rescue efforts failed. They dug the final stretch that led to the successful evacuation of the trapped workers.
“We rescued 41 people in the Silkyara tunnel and in return we got this,” Hassan told PTI. “Earlier, I had requested the authorities and the government to give this house to us, but to no avail. Today, without any information, DDA came and demolished it.”
The DDA said in a statement that the demolition drive targeted land designated for development. The police reported multiple illegally constructed structures were removed during the operation.
"On Feb. 28, a demolition drive was conducted by the DDA to remove encroachment from its acquired land in village Khajoori Khas. The land was part of planned development land," the DDA said in a statement.