MEERUT: Days after officials of UP districts that were hit by violence during anti-CAA protests started sending recovery notices to people allegedly responsible for causing damage to public property, residents of trouble-hit areas of Bulandshahr handed over ademand draft of Rs 6.27 lakh to the district magistrate.Senior officials called it a “voluntary act of repentance”. A delegation comprising residents of Upeerkot area, which saw massive protest against the amended citizenship law, handed over the demand draft to district magistrate Ravindra Kumar and senior superintendent of police Santosh Kumar Singh in a bid to compensate for the damage to public property during the clashes on December 20.The delegation led by a local politician Shakilullah and other dignities from the Muslim community in Kotwali city area also handed over a letter to the DM pledging that arepeat of the violence would never occur in future. Unlike several other districts, Bulandshahr administration was yet to serve notices for recovery of damages.SSP Santosh Kumar Singh said: “This is a positive step. This has avoided us the long process of sending notices to the rioters and getting them to reimburse for the damage.”The idea of voluntarily compensating for the damages was mooted at a meeting in Bulandhshar a few days after the violence when Meerut IG Alok Singh and commissioner Anita Meshram were in the district to take stock of law and order situation in the aftermath of the violence.“Husband of a local corporator had raised the issue during a meeting at Bulandshahr few days ago. He said that he felt sorry for the violence and loss of property caused by it, and locals are ready to compensate for it. It was more like an act of repentance,” IG Singh said.In Bulandshahr, a police van was torched by protesters on December 20. According to sources, at the meeting chaired by IG Singh, locals had offered a new van.“The same model of the van which was torched was not available. So the locals decided to hand over the amount to the administration,” a source said.