Other States - New Delhi   

Metro displaced yet to see light at the end of the tunnel

By Gaurav Vivek Bhatnagar

NEW DELHI DEC. 11. Contrary to tall claims made by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, some of those displaced by the project have not yet received any money in the name of rehabilitation and compensation. And this has made life miserable for the likes of Rakesh Sethi of Moti Nagar, whose 126-square metre house - worth nearly Rs 50 lakhs - was pulled down by a demolition squad on December 8.

A coaching centre owner, Mr Sethi has still not been able to reconcile to the fact that the Metro - which is being termed the lifeline of Delhi - has deprived and denied him of a house, his father, T.N. Sethi, had procured almost 50 years ago. Lodged with his aged father, mother, wife and two children in a temporary accommodation on top of his shop in the colony now, the businessman has more to rue than his fate alone. "We had realised quite some time back that the house would have to go due to the construction activity. But what really pains us is the attitude of the authorities, who have not paid us any compensation, not even the Rs 2,500 we are supposed to get as rent for taking up temporary accommodation,'' said the aggrieved man.

What is worse, he said, is that while the DMRC has been completely ignoring the issue, its officials continue to claim that there is no problem in rehabilitation and compensation. All-the-more irked by the fact that DMRC was pointing to the lack of protests during demolition drives as a sign of "satisfaction'', Mr Sethi wondered how were a handful of law-abiding citizens expected to stand up before a strong police contingent that accompanied the squad.

Stating that eight houses - of which two had become commercialised and had 11 shops in them - were pulled down, Mr Sethi noted that while all the 11 shopkeepers have been given land on temporary basis and assured shops in Sudamapuri, nothing was being done for the six affected families.

"We have not received any interim compensation and all that we know is that probably we will be compensated in far off Narela or Bindapur. But there is no official word on this and all that the Project Director of DMRC, Vijay Anand, told us was that DDA has been paid the amount by DMRC and it would provide us the houses.

Wondering if DMRC would itself trust DDA to construct a single pillar for it, the crestfallen man said, now even the DMRC Chairman, Madan Lal Khurana, who is the MLA from Moti Nagar, says he can do little in the matter. "Even the old promise of finding a suitable property for us either in Sudamapuri or Madipur SFS flats has been forgotten.''

Stating that all the affected families were sailing in the same boat, Mr Sethi said DMRC should not look the other way when it comes to rehabilitating those whom it is has displaced. "We should be made a part of the development process and not be excluded from it. Considering the huge value of the property created by it, the DMRC is well-placed to ensure that no one is left aggrieved by its development plans.''

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Other States

News: Front Page | National | Southern States | Other States | International | Opinion | Business | Sport | Miscellaneous |
Advts: Classifieds | Employment | Obituary |

Stories in this Section

• Khurana remarks on Sonia in bad taste: Ahmed Patel
• Cop identifies vehicle in Jessica case
• Metro displaced yet to see light at the end of the tunnel
• Doctor told to pay for `unfair practice'
• Survey sees a `son preference' society
• `Women trafficking linked to poverty'

Copyright © 2003, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu