Delhi Govt Reiterates No Existing Houses In O-Zone Will Face Demolition Action

During the Monsoon Session of the Assembly, the BJP reiterated on Friday that no existing houses in the O-Zone will be demolished and accused the Opposition AAP of playing politics over the issue.

The BJP remark followed comments by AAP MLA Sanjeev Jha. He cited ongoing demolitions in the O-Zone (Yamuna floodplains), demanded legal protection for unauthorised colonies, and warned that the fate of 12-15 lakh people is in limbo. The O-Zone stretches for approximately 22 km from Wazirabad to Okhla.

Delhi Development Minister Kapil Mishra called the O-Zone matter serious and stated that BJP MPs and MLAs have discussed it with the authorities.

"There are over 30 lakh houses in the O-Zone, and none will be demolished," he said, accusing the AAP of playing politics over the issue. He alleged that AAP workers were filing complaints against the construction of houses in O-Zone areas so that the Municipal Corporation of Delhi and the Delhi Development Authority would take action, which they would then politicise.

"It is your dream to see the houses being demolished so that you can do politics over it," Mishra said to the Opposition MLAs and proposed a special discussion over the issue in the House.

"They first lodge a complaint and then resort to protest. This is extremely low-level politics. For 10 years you were in power but did not do anything so that the matter could be decided in the court," Mishra replied to Jha.

The Yamuna floodplain has been designated as the O-Zone under the Delhi Master Plan 2021. This means the area is a protected riverbed/floodplain where any brick-and-mortar construction is banned, as the land is meant to absorb excess river water and keep the ecosystem in balance.

The AAP MLA Jha, who is also the party's chief whip in the Assembly, said many houses in Burari, Milan Vihar, Jagatpur, Wazirabad, and Okhla were demolished and residents are living in fear.

"All these colonies were protected under the PM Uday scheme, which was launched in 2019, providing legal safeguard under the initiative. When the question of legal ownership arose in 2026, why were these colonies excluded?" Jha asked. The PM-UDAY scheme is for giving ownership or transfer/mortgage rights to the residents of 1,731 unauthorised colonies in Delhi.

He questioned the BJP government's stand on the issue, charging that it failed to clarify the issue of unauthorised colonies in O-Zone before the court.

In May, the Delhi High Court directed government agencies to remove encroachments in the O-Zone where around 90 colonies have settled over the past decades.

Chief Minister Rekha Gupta has also assured that existing structures in O-Zone would not face any action, pointing out that the court order was meant for new constructions in the area.