Dharamshala, September 12 – Mrs Dolma Gyari, vice-chair of the Assembly of the Tibetan People’s Deputies, left for Delhi at the request by the Delhi Samye-Ling Tibetan Colony Office to represent the Tibetans at a meeting called by Ms. Shiela Dixit, chief minister of Delhi, to avert the eviction of Tibetan refugees.
The Yamuna Removal of Encroachment Monitoring Committee, a committee established by the Delhi High Court specially to deal with the removal of unathorised encroachment from the bank of river Yamuna, gave a week deadline on 7 September to remove 66 Tibetan shops under the Tibetan Refugee Market Association at Ladakh Dharamshala/Buddha Vihar in Delhi.
The Tibetans look upon Ms. Shiela Dixit to save them from this demolition threat as she assured her government’s support for the Tibetan refugees and asserted that she will not let the demolition happen. Considering the series of requests made by the Tibetan residents Ms. Shiela Dixit is calling this meeting to finding out possibilities to help the Tibetan refugees.
The meeting will be held either today or tomorrow. Besides the ministry of external affair and Secretary of the Delhi government, the heads of the Urban Development, Delhi Development Authority, Municipal Cooperation, Land and Development Office, CPWD, representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama in New Delhi, Mr. Tempa Tsering, the vice-chair of the Tibetan Assembly, Director of the Tibetan Parliamentary and Policy Reseach Centre, Mr. Penpa Tsering, will also attend the meeting.
The Delhi High Court also made it certain to remove the Tibetan Colony called Majnu-ka-Till, which comes under their plan to remove all the encroachments within 300 meters from the bank of Yamuna river. However it gave six weeks time to the Delhi government and the ministry of external affairs to ensure an allotment for the residents as Tibetans come under special category.
Recently on 4 September, the Delhi Development Authority brought down two structures in Majnu-ka-Tilla as new constructions were being carried out in that locality, despite the court’s notice.
(www.tibet.net is the official website of the Central Tibetan Administration of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.)
