New Delhi

The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) on Wednesday (Feb 28) razed the house of the leader of the team of rat-hole miners who played a major part in rescuing 41 workers from the collapsed Silkyara-Barkot tunnel in Uttarakhand last year. The government agency carried out the demolition drive in Sri Ram Colony in Northeast Delhi’s Khajuri Khas area where Vaqeel Hasan lived with his family. 

Advertisment

On Wednesday, Hasan returned to his home, only to find it being demolished as part of an anti-encroachment drive. According to DDA, the land on which Hasan's house stood was “part of planned development land" while the police said structures built illegally were demolished. 

"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. 

A video going viral on social media showed Hasan's house razed to the ground while all the items were hurriedly parked on the roadside. The man who shot the video claimed that apart from razing Hasan's house, he was also beaten by the authorities. 

Advertisment

“They (the authorities) came for demolition today morning; my wife and I were not at home, only my children were there. I rushed back, tried telling them not to go ahead, but they didn’t listen,” Hasan was quoted as saying by The Indian Express. 

Hasan revealed that he had requested the government to not raze his house as an award for rescuing the tunnel workers. 

"My house is the only thing I asked for as an award (for the Uttarakhand rescue operation), but DDA razed my home without any notice," he added. 

Advertisment

Hasan, 45, who also owns Rockwell Enterprises, the company that employed the “rat-hole” miners, has now vowed to stay on the street with his family till they are relocated by the government. 

Watch | Uttarakhand tunnel rescue: What is rat-hole mining, used in rescue operation, & how does it work?

×

What did Hasan and his men accomplish?

The banned practice of rat-hole mining was adopted by Hasan's workers after an imported, high-tech drilling machine stopped working in the last leg of the operation. The miners assembled as a last-ditch effort by the authorities, manually drilled their way towards the trapped workers and managed to set them free.

Also read | Uttarakhand tunnel rescue: Rat-hole miners emerge as 'real heroes', save lives with outlawed technique

Although illegal, the practice proved to be the difference between life and death for the 41 tunnel workers. After the operation, Hasan and his aides were hailed as national heroes with appreciation pouring from all quarters. 

(With inputs from agencies)