NEW DELHI: The

Land and Development Office

(L&DO) has decided not to proceed with the eviction at the Khyber Pass area in Delhi, which includes the residence of Olympic medalist

Manu Bhaker

‘s shooting coach

Samaresh Jung

along with 200 other residents.
Jung had filed a petition against the eviction in the Delhi high court, and the matter is scheduled for a hearing on August 5.

Upon returning from the Paris Olympics, the national pistol coach was shocked to find out that his family’s home of nearly 75 years was considered an “illegal construction” and he had only 48 hours to vacate. Jung, known as ‘Goldfinger’ for his achievements in the 2006 and 2010 Commonwealth Games, requested at least two months to relocate.
“This was a property we were staying on for the last 75 years. In 1978, the land and structure were leased out to a Mr. Singh, and we have been paying rent to him since then,” Jung told PTI.

The

eviction notice

from the L&DO arrived just hours after Jung returned from Paris. “I came to know about it one hour after reaching home from Paris,” he said.
Jung, an Olympian, received a notice from the L&DO of the ministry of housing and urban affairs, along with other residents of the Khyber Pass locality in the Civil Lines area of New Delhi. The notice said that the land on which the Khyber Pass colony is situated is the property of the ministry of defence, rendering the settlement illegal. While willing to comply with the law, Jung has asked for a reasonable amount of time to move.

“I am not above the law and I will vacate if this is what the law demands. But two days’ notice is not the way. At least give us a couple of months to move out,” he said. “Is it an emergency or war situation that we have to vacate in a day?”
At 54 years old, Jung does not have another house in Delhi. “Now, I have nowhere to go. I have a huge library of more than 1000 books and my brother has gone house hunting, and we are trying to pack everything,” he added.
Pistol shooters have contributed two of India’s three medals in the ongoing Paris Games, with Manu Bhaker winning the individual 10m air pistol bronze and later combining with Sarabjot Singh to claim the mixed team third position.
The demolition drive at Khyber Pass in Delhi’s Civil Lines area commenced last month, following a Delhi high court ruling on July 9. Despite residents challenging the initial notice issued on July 1, which required them to vacate by July 4, the court granted permission for the demolition to proceed on July 3, provided proper procedures were followed. The final hearing on July 9 concluded that the petitioners had failed to provide any documentation proving their land ownership.