Here is some good news for the civic agencies in the capital who find difficulties in getting adequate police force demolishing illegal constructions.

Delhi police will soon form a special task force (STF) to accompany the demolishing squads of agencies including the municipal corporation of Delhi (MCD), Delhi development authority (DDA) and people’s work department (PWD).

The STF, which will have around 150 policemen will be constituted by mid- January.

The decision was taken by lieutenant governor Tejendra Khanna in a meeting held on Monday.

“Instead of randomly pulling any policemen off duty, all the agencies will get assistance from the STF only. The officials in STF will be trained and have workshops before they will be send on the job,” said a senior official in the lieutenant governor office.

The collapse of an illegal building in East Delhi’s Laxmi Nagar area last month brought into focus illegal constructions in the capital. More than 60 people had died in the accident.

Days after the collapse, MCD announced that it would conduct a survey of illegal constructions in that area.

On its part, Delhi government had constituted a high-powered committee to frame a broad policy for providing shelter to vulnerable sections and facilitate swift allotment of around 9,000 low-cost houses to them.

The three-member committee comprising finance minister A K Walia, PWD Minister Raj Kumar Chauhan and social welfare minister Mangat Ram Singhal has been tasked to frame the policy based on the broad contours of the framework already prepared by chief secretary Rakesh Mehta.