The Hindu : High Court vacates stay on Yamuna Pushta demolition

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Feb 12, 2004

New Delhi

New Delhi

High Court vacates stay on Yamuna Pushta demolition

By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI, FEB. 11. Following vacation of stay on eviction of slum dwellers from the Yamuna Pushta area here by the Delhi High Court today, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi has begun preparations for their relocation.

The MCD Slum Commissioner, Bhuvaneshwar Singh, said he has requested the Delhi police to provide the necessary force for relocation of slum clusters from Yamuna Pushta. "As soon as we get the force, we will begin the operation,'' he added. Subject to availability of force, the slum relocation drive is expected to begin this Thursday or Friday.

Meanwhile, given the politically sensitive nature of the drive, there was a strong move on the part of senior Congress leaders in the civic body to delay the relocation at least until the Lok Sabha elections are over. On the other hand, the Bharatiya Janata Party leaders, particularly the Union Tourism and Culture Minister, Jagmohan, insisted that the operations should begin at the earliest. He apprehended "dilly-dallying tactics'' on the part of the MCD. Mr. Jagmohan has grand plans to develop the Yamuna riverfront after removing these slum clusters, for which the Delhi High Court had given orders in March 2003.

Earlier in the day, a Division Bench of the Delhi High Court comprising Chief Justice B. C. Patel and Justice B. D. Ahmed vacated the stay by a Single-Judge Bench of the High Court on February 5. The Division Bench directed the authorities to implement the rehabilitation and relocation of the slum dwellers simultaneously. The High Court directed that proper basic amenities including power, water, sewerage system, schools, dispensary and transportaion, be provided in the rehabilitation colonies.

In its February 5th order, the Single Bench of the Court had directed the authorities to maintain status quo on the relocation of the slum clusters after six slum dwellers moved a petition alleging discrimination in the relocation scheme.

Disposing these petitions, the Delhi High Court today directed the Slum Department to provide alternative accomodation to these petitioners, temporarliy till their grievance were looked after.

Soon after the stay was vacated, the Union Urban Development Ministry and the Union Tourism and Culture Ministry tried to prevail upon the MCD to start the eviction drive today itself. However, senior MCD officials pleaded that they were already tied up with another relocation drive in South Delhi.

While officials of the Slum Department swung into action quickly to make the necessary arrangements and availability of police force, Congress leaders in the civic body began the move otherwise. Criticising the re-location of slum dwellers from Yamuna Pushta, the Standing Committee Deputy Chairman, Ashok Jain, alleged that poor slum families were being forced to spend nights and were living in hell-like condition. "Even basic civic amenities are not available at the relocated site,'' he said.

The area Councillor and MCD Education Committee Chairman, Farhad Suri, alleged that eviction of slum clusters just before annual examinations was inhuman. "It is politically motivated. The poor residents are being evicted by the BJP leaders with an eye on Lok Sabha elections,'' he said. On the other hand, Mr. Jagmohan claimed that not many eligible families were staying at Yamuna Pushta. Displaying photographs, he alleged that the slum cluster was being used by some vested interest to run polluting industries, dairy farms and illegal business from Yamuna Pushta.

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