The Hindu : Centre accused of taking slum dwellers for a ride

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Jan 22, 2004

New Delhi

New Delhi

Centre accused of taking slum dwellers for a ride

By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI, JAN.21. Senior Congress leader and former Member of Parliament, Sajjan Kumar, today accused the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Central Government of taking nearly 40 lakh people living in the Capital's unauthorised colonies for a ride by promising and not taking a decision on regularisation of nearly 1600 such colonies. He announced that a `Mahapanchayat' of representatives of such colonies would be held on February 1 to serve an ultimatum on the Vajpayee Government.

Addressing a press conference, Mr. Kumar said the `Mahapanchayat' would be held at Najafgarh to consider the problems of lakhs of people living in these colonies and also to protest against the non-cooperative attitude of the BJP-led Central Government towards their demands. He charged the Vajpayee Government for delaying the regularisation of these colonies intentionally by putting unreasonable and irrational conditions. This has resulted in the people of these colonies being deprived of even the basic civic amenities. This, he said was, despite the fact that the Delhi Government had wanted to provide civic amenities in these colonies.

He said when the issue of unauthorised colonies was pending with the High Court, the Union Urban Development Ministry had filed an affidavit under the pressure of the Delhi Government suggesting harsh penalties and conditions for regularisation of these colonies. He said the formula suggested in the Court and then passed by the Union Cabinet in 2000, would have meant imposition of harsh penalties on the poor people.

The Delhi government had convened a special one-day session of the Delhi Assembly to deliberate on the issue and protested against the anti-poor attitude of the BJP and its Central Government. Mr. Kumar said that Congress would only accept regularisation of unauthorised colonies on the basis of the policy laid down by the former Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi, during 1976-77.

The Congress leader said despite the Delhi Government reminding the Central Government on several occasions for regularisation of unauthorised colonies, nothing has been done.

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