NEW DELHI: WITH AAP accusing the Delhi Development Authority of planning to demolish jhuggis in the city, the latter on Monday clarified that not even a single slum will demolished due to certain provisions in place.
“They [slums] cannot be demolished as of the fact that the Centre has recently extended the validity of the National Capital Territory of Delhi Laws (Special Provisions) Second Act, 2011 up to December 31, 2026, continuous protection of certain unauthorised developments including the JJ clusters from punitive action,” the DDA said in a statement.
Over a survey of three JJ clusters at Lok Kalyan Marg, the DDA said it began in 2011 by the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB).
“Two of the three camps are on defence land affecting the development of critical infrastructure. The initial amount for rehabilitation at these sites, was arrived at and finalised in 2011 and the amount was deposited in 2013,” the authority said.
PWD Minister and AAP senior leader Atishi on Sunday visited the BR camp, behind Lok Kalyan Marg (Race Course) and said, “DDA which comes under Centre has given notice to people for demolition of their houses. Despite assurances to provide houses in the same location, the BJP-led DDA is pushing for the relocation of people to Narela and Kakrola which are 50 kilometers from here. This will impact the work of people as well as the education of their children.”
She said the AAP will not let the people living in jhuggis of the camp become homeless.
Echoing similar concerns, Health minister Saurabh Bharadwaj said that the central agencies have rendered countless people homeless in Sunder Nursery, Tughlaqabad, Mehrauli, Vasant Vihar, and Priyanka Colony.
He alleged that for the last few months, it has been observed that the BJP-ruled central government agencies like the ASI, Railways, DDA, and Land and Development Organisation are “conspiring” to demolish JJ clusters wherever they are on their lands.
“These people live here with their small children. Those children study in the nearby government schools, those women either work in the nearby houses or their husbands work in the nearby markets. Where will these people go?” he said.
‘BJP’s aim is to render slum-dwellers homeless’
Delhi Cabinet ministers Atishi and Saurabh Bharadwaj on Sunday visited slum clusters and accused the BJP of conspiring to remove slum dwellers. The visit was a part of AAP’s ‘Ghar bachao, BJP hatao’ campaign against the BJP-ruled central government’s alleged policy to render Delhi’s slum-dwellers homeless.