Filled with mud and rubble, the river bed was sold off as handkerchief-sized plots to unwitting migrants. These people have invested their life's savings in building not a jhuggi but pucca houses some even three to four storeys tall. Now, boards of several prominent builders dot the landscape.

A High Court order dated November 13, 1997, in the presence of the police, DDA, Ministry of Urban Affairs, the LG's office and Principal Secretary stated: ``We are making it clear that it is not only the persons constructing...but others also who directly or indirectly aid and assist the unauthorised construction particularly the builders, architects, concerned junior engineers and SHO would be severely dealt with....''

It was more than a year later, on February 19, 1999, that Deputy Commissioner of Police (South) Pradeep Srivastava took note of the order and transferred SHO (Srinivaspuri) D.V Joshi. Moreover, the entire chowki staff was transferred out in an effort to break the nexus between builders and authorities. Also, five police pickets were set up in the area so that no building material was allowed to enter the area.

``We have taken very strong action and all construction has been stopped,'' says Srivastava. But action came late. The land-grabbers had already lined a 3-km stretch of the Yamuna with houses. The land was initially purchased by DDA from local farmers in 1987 for the purpose of building a Ring Road from Sarita Vihar to Friends Colony. ``After it came to DDA, land-grabbers had a field day. A little money paid to the DDA officials and the local police and the land was theirs,'' says Jagbir Singh, Nambardar of the Khizrabad village, which has the maximum number of encroachments.

The disputed land consists of the five villages of Nangli Raza, Kilokri, Khizrabad, Jogabai and Okhla stretching from the Defence Club in Okhla. The area is dominated by Muslim migrants from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Residents allege that encroachments were cleared in the nearby Kilokri village which is Hindu-dominated. Local MLA Parvez Hashmi refutes the insinuation: ``These allegations are false because we are not targeting any community''.

However, when there was an attempt to demolish some of the buildings, Hashmi personally intervened. When asked for comment, he said: ``These are not encroachments but unauthorised colonies, like the 1,700 all over Delhi. I will resist any attempt to demolish them because these poor people have been duped by land-grabbers. It is not their fault''.

Says one of the owners of the commercial complexes built on the river bed: ``These buildings have been illegally demolished by the MCD because they did not know this falls in the Lal Dora area.'' The Lal Dora concept is that of development of land by the locals.

Those who have bought land are hoping that they will remain untouched -- just like the other 1,700 unauthorised colonies in the city. ``We have heard that all this is illegal but since we were getting this land for a cheaper rate, we bought it,'' says Iqbal Khan who moved in five years ago and runs a grocery shop in the area.

In another court order passed in April last year, DDA was directed to build a wall separating the buildings from vacant land to prevent further encroachment. The construction of that wall began exactly an year later, earlier this month. During the delay, encroachers shifted the fence at will in the darkness of the night sometimes, as much as 15 metres and build their house. ``DDA always has paucity of funds, that is why there was this delay,'' said Hashmi.

Meanwhile, the original land grabbers have already moved to greener pastures. There is a list of 60 names with the police against whom cases have already been registered.