NEW DELHI: Facing strong reprimand from courts and environmentalists for failure to get things going, the Delhi Government's Slum Department has acquired 252 acres of land in Outer Delhi's Shabda Ghevra village for relocation of 15,000 slum units situated on the Yamuna banks along National Highway 24 Pushta and Marginal Bund in East Delhi.

However, this is likely to result in another plan to rehabilitate 10,000 units from various parts of the Capital running into trouble as the Government would be utilising a major part of this freshly allotted land to first rehabilitate the clusters from along the Yamuna banks.

According to Delhi's Urban Development Minister A. K. Walia, the State Slum Department has been allocated 252 acres of land in Outer Delhi. In view of the impending court orders and the decision to remove unauthorised slum clusters from the banks of the Yamuna, it had been decided that in the first phase 15,000 units located on the Marginal Bund and along NH-24 in East Delhi would be sent for rehabilitation to the new location.

Dr. Walia said that of the total land allocated, 197 acres would be utilised for these 15,000 units and already action has been initiated.

Not only is the riverbank sought to be cleared of slum clusters but a major re-development exercise is also on to put in place an eight-lane road from Noida More flyover to ISBT Kashmere Gate and widening of NG 24. For this, the slum clusters along the riverbank aligning Geeta Colony, Gandhi Nagar, Pushta on NH-24 and Marginal Bund would be relocated to the new location.

``We had tried to form cooperative societies for rehabilitation but somehow the plan got delayed. There are a total of 41 clusters housing nearly 20,000 units that need to be relocated. We are forwarding a proposal under the Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission for such a project and are hopeful of getting Central funds,'' he added.

On the other hand, the plan to relocate nearly 30,000 units from various parts of the city could run into major trouble following the decision to first take up relocation of the 15,000 units.

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