Won't let slum dwellers be displaced, will work with Centre to provide them houses: Delhi CM

It is legal right of every slum dweller to have a house." "I assure slum dwellers that I will not let them be displaced till I am alive." Kejriwal said the Central Provisions Act passed by the Union Government, the DUSIB Act, DUSIB policy, and DUSIB protocol clearly state that whenever these slums would be removed, the inhabitants will be given permanent houses. He said, removal of slums should not be undertaken till the pandemic subsides so that the affected areas did not run the risk of becoming coronavirus hotspots.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday said he would not let dwellers of slums encroaching on railway land in Delhi be displaced and his government will work with the Centre to provide houses to them. The Supreme court had on August 31 ordered removal of 48,000 slum dwellings along the railway tracks in Delhi within three months. It is estimated that around 2.4 lakh people live in slums in Naraina Vihar, Azadpur, Vihar, Shakur Basti, Mayapuri, Sriniwaspuri, Anand Parbat, Okhla and others.

The issue was debated during the one-day session of the Delhi Assembly, with the ruling AAP and opposition BJP legislators hitting out at each other. Leader of Opposition Ramvir Singh Bidhuri raised "Modi zindabad" slogan and hailed the prime minister's housing for all by 2022 mission. The Delhi chief minister said, "I believe that in this pandemic removing 48,000 jhuggis is not correct. What if the place becomes a coronavirus hotspot? Law says slum dwellers should not be removed before rehabilitation. It is legal right of every slum dweller to have a house." "I assure slum dwellers that I will not let them be displaced till I am alive." Kejriwal said the Central Provisions Act passed by the Union Government, the DUSIB Act, DUSIB policy, and DUSIB protocol clearly state that whenever these slums would be removed, the inhabitants will be given permanent houses.

He said, removal of slums should not be undertaken till the pandemic subsides so that the affected areas did not run the risk of becoming coronavirus hotspots. "I assure that the Central and Delhi governments will work together for ensuring pucca houses to slum dwellers. All agencies concerned need to come together to work for providing houses," the chief minister said.

A resolution on slum dwellers brought by AAP MLA Raghav Chadha was passed by the House by voice vote. It stated that there should not be any eviction during the pandemic and rehabilitation should precede any such action. The resolution also stated that both the Centre and Delhi government agencies must work together for protection of interests of the 48,000 slum dwellers.

Kejriwal said that he will knock on every door to ensure that every affected slum dweller gets a house near the slum before eviction. "Even if I have to touch someone's feet, even if I have to struggle, I will provide a house to you." The chief minister expressed happiness that the Centre had on Friday said in the Supreme Court that the Delhi government, Railways, and Urban Development Ministry will jointly find a solution to the problem in the next four weeks. There should be no politics over the issue for it will delay solving the problem, he said. "In the last 70 years, governments of various parties did not plan Delhi properly, they did not construct houses for the poor." Kejriwal said the AAP, after coming to power, prepared a policy that gave slum dwellers the legal right to have have a permanent house within 5 km radius of their existing slum.

Asserting that slum dwellers play a very important role in improving Delhi's economy and life, he said, "If all the leaders and officers of Delhi stop working for a day, even then the city will keep on functioning." "But if people living in slums stop working even for a day, then Delhi will come to standstill," the chief minister said.