House Of Rat-Hole Miner Who Led Uttarakhand Tunnel Rescue Demolished In Delhi
Just a few months ago, Wakeel Hassan was hailed a hero when he led a team of rat-hole mining experts who dug through the rubble to save the 41 construction workers who were trapped inside the tunnel in Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand.
On Wednesday he became homeless after the Development Authority (DDA) demolished his house.
House demolished without notice
Among the several houses razed by the DDA in Khajoori Khas of North East Delhi, one belonged to Hassan.
On Wednesday, Hassan shared a video of the area, claiming the building he and his family were residing in was "razed in the drive".
In the video, he also claimed that he had to go to a police station in connection with this incident. He was accompanied by Munna Qureshi, another member of his team that rescued the trapped workers, who also said they were beaten up by the police.
This is what we got in return
Hassan further alleged that the DDA's action was arbitrary and that they were not informed in advance.
"We rescued 41 people in the Silkyara tunnel and in return we got this. 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," Hassan alleged.
Demolished for planned development?
According to DDA, the demolition drive was carried out on land that was ¡°part of planned development land¡±.?
"On February 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.
The Delhi Police said several structures built illegally were demolished during the drive.
Uttarakhand tunnel rescue
The rat-hole miners from Delhi and UP were instrumental in the success of one of the most challenging rescue operations in India ever.
When some of the most sophisticated machines failed to reach the 41 trapped men, it was the rat-hole miners who dug through the rubble and rescued them from the tunnel.
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