BJP trying to remove slums, alleges AAP

New Delhi, January 12

Leaders of the Aam Aadmi Party today slammed the BJP-led Central Government over demolition drives being conducted in the national capital.

AAP leaders Atishi and Saurabh Bhardwaj accused the BJP-ruled Centre of hatching a conspiracy to demolish slums in Delhi in a “systematic way”.

Atishi said, “Before every election, the BJP promises to give homes to every slum dweller. Prime Minister Narendra Modi just before the Municipal Corporation of Delhi elections had given 500 homes to the slum dwellers in Kalkaji and promised all slum dwellers that they would get a home within the 5km radius.”

However, soon after the elections, the PM handed the keys of the flats to the people in a housing complex while the BJP-governed Delhi Development Authority (DDA) ordered the demolition of the slums adjacent to that complex, she alleged.

“On November 9, during a meeting at the PMO under the chairmanship of his advisor Tarun Kapoor, officials from all land-owning agencies in Delhi, such as the MCD, Railways and the DDA were directed to completely remove jhuggis from Delhi,” she added.

The AAP leaders highlighted that in November, demolition drives were conducted near Sunder Nursery even when strict rules were imposed due to high levels of pollution, which banned construction and demolition activities in the Capital. Atishi alleged that they had received special permission to conduct the demolition.

Saurabh Bhardwaj said JJ clusters are the reality of the socio-economic conditions of the city. He said, “According to the policy, the land-owning agencies, where slums are located, are to develop in-situ development of the area for these people by constructing flats in the area.”

“If any demolition is being conducted on the central land areas, the DDA is responsible for rehabilitation, while the DUSIB is responsible for rehabilitating people if it is being conducted in Delhi Government’s land,” he added.

He said in the last two years, the demolition had been conducted on Central Government’s lands and the Supreme Court had to intervene to stop demolition drives at Sarojini Nagar, asking the agencies to provide for rehabilitation first.

“Mehrauli saw demolition drives without any rehabilitation. The Tughalakabad demolition drive left 2.5 lakh persons homeless.” he added.