Dalmandi, one of Varanasi's busiest and most historic markets, is in the middle of a major widening and beautification push. As part of that drive, a joint team of the Varanasi Development Authority (VDA), the Public Works Department (PWD) and the Municipal Corporation moved in with a heavy police presence and carried out a large demolition operation. During the action, the administration began pulling down 14 new buildings that had already been declared illegal and unsafe. The sudden move sent a wave of anxiety through the entire neighbourhood.
Court stay fully respected, 20 houses left untouched
Some residents of Dalmandi had taken their fight against the campaign to the High Court. Acting on their plea, the court imposed an interim stay barring any penal or demolition action against 20 specifically identified houses. Honouring that order in full, the administration left all 20 of those houses completely untouched. The action was confined strictly to the 14 buildings that VDA and the Municipal Corporation had already flagged as 'illegal and dilapidated' and served with legal notices to vacate.
Cutters and hammers do the work in narrow lanes
According to information gathered by TrendKia on the ground, several separate crews of workers were deployed given Dalmandi's cramped lanes and dense construction. Where heavy machinery simply could not reach, cutter machines and hammers were used to bring down structures that had become dangerously unsafe. The clang of bulldozers and hammers left the busy market on edge.
ACP Atul Anjan leads from the front
To head off any protest or breakdown of order in this sensitive area, the police took direct charge of the operation. ACP Atul Anjan, who arrived to review security arrangements, said the situation was fully under control and that only the marked dilapidated and illegal portions were being removed, peacefully.
Target: finish by the last week of June
According to VDA and Municipal Corporation officials, a strict target has been set to complete the demolition work under the Dalmandi road-widening drive by the last week of June without fail. With that deadline in mind, the pace of work has been increased fourfold so that the debris can be cleared and road-widening sped up within the set time. In the coming days, action on the remaining dilapidated portions will intensify further, with the aim of giving this old Kashi market a new, orderly and safer form.
