In a written reply to the Upper House, Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs Tokhan Sahu said the cancelled drives were primarily called off because of pending court cases, stay orders, adverse weather, non-availability of police personnel, local resistance, VIP movement and logistical issues.
Some operations were also deferred after encroachments had already been removed voluntarily before the scheduled action.
The disclosure comes days after Sahu informed Parliament that around 1,116 demolition drives had been carried out between 2023 and June 2026, to reclaim 2,719 acres of encroached land across Delhi. During the same period, 212 demolition programmes were cancelled, taking the total scheduled operations to 1,328.
According to the government, demolition notices are issued or pasted at sites in accordance with applicable laws and court directions before any action is undertaken. Rehabilitation is provided to eligible residents under the Delhi Slums and JJ Rehabilitation and Relocation Policy, 2015.
The Centre said nearly 1,800 families from Bhoomiheen Camp in Govindpuri have been allotted economically weaker section (EWS) flats in Kalkaji Extension, while 1,360 families displaced from Jailor Wala Bagh, Mata Jai Kaur and Golden Park have been rehabilitated at Swabhiman Apartments in Ashok Vihar, subject to eligibility norms.
What’s behind the cancellations?
The ministry said several demolition drives were stalled due to court-ordered status quo directives with no defined expiry and restrictions under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), which halts construction and demolition work during episodes of high air pollution.
Administrative hurdles included discrepancies in land demarcation between DDA and Revenue Department officials, as well as delays in securing support from agencies involved in joint demolition drives.
Coordination gaps between the DDA, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) and the Revenue Department over land records and regularisation claims added to the delays. The government said joint inspections with a Special Task Force (STF) have since been set up to iron out these disputes before drives are launched.
Last year, the Centre informed Parliament that more than 5,100 houses had been demolished by the DDA over three years, with around 3,000 households rehabilitated under various relocation schemes.
