Demolish 'tehkhanas' in GB Road brothels, Maliwal tells MCD

Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) chief Swati Maliwal on Monday issued a notice to the North Delhi Municipal Corporation (North-MCD) to demolish illegal structures, including 'tehkhanas' or hidden cells, in the brothels of Delhi's red-light area at GB Road.

She also sought ownership records of the brothels from the North-MCD within 48 hours.

"Over the past one year, the Delhi Commission for Women has made several visits to the brothels at GB Road. The Commission has been appalled to note the presence of several illegal structures within the brothels which include tehkhanas -- hidden cells that are often used by brothel owners to hide trafficked girls," Maliwal has written in the notice.

She added that the Commission has been conducting regular meetings with police, government and North-MCD to identify the owners of the brothels and to ensure that these tehkhanas are demolished.

"...Yet the same has not happened till date," she said.

In the notice issued to Commissioner of the North-MCD, P.K. Gupta, Maliwal has demanded the action plan and time-line for demolition of the illegal structures within 48 hours of receiving the notice.

She has also demanded ownership records, house tax records and receipts, and "other relevant" records for ascertaining the ownership of the brothels.

Maliwal had last week alleged that a prostitution racket at GB Road in the national capital's red light area was operating under the protection of a central minister and a Delhi-based senior leader of a national political party.

She had promised to reveal the names of the two leaders "really soon".

Earlier, the Anti-Corruption Branch of the Delhi government had registered a case against Maliwal over a complaint of irregular recruitments made to the DCW panel. The complaint was filed by former DCW chief Barkha Shukla Singh.

--IANS

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