NEW DELHI: As slum demolitions sparked a political tussle between the ruling BJP and opposition parties, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Friday said that the government is studying Mumbai’s Dharavi model to draw up plans for the national capital’s slum redevelopment.
The CM described the court-ordered demolitions as a part of the orderly settlement of slum dwellers.
Speaking to reporters in Shalimar Bagh, she said, “We will not let anything happen to the slum dwellers of Delhi who have been permanent residents here for years.”
However, she cautioned, “If you construct a house near a railway line, the CM will not save you. I urge people to think about safety and security. If a railway accident happens or someone dies on the railway track, who’ll be responsible?”
Explaining the demolitions in parts of the city, she said that in some places, razing structures becomes unavoidable to settle residents in an orderly manner. Gupta asserted that demolishing houses was not her government’s aim.
“But it should not be that we keep on giving homes and people do not vacate slums,” she added.
The CM also criticised the previous AAP government for doing little to support the rehabilitation of slum dwellers.
“Slum dwellers were not shifted to 50,000 flats that were built for their rehabilitation. The flats remained vacant even after residents deposited money for alternative accommodation,” Gupta said.
The AAP has, however, claimed that its government never disturbed any slum dweller without making alternative arrangements. It had built thousands of flats under Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board, the AAP claimed.