Delhi govt unable to proceed with rehabilitation as Rlys, Centre drag their feet
New delhi: The Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB) has around 35,000 houses vacant and ready for rehabilitation but it has been waiting to hear from the Railway Ministry following the Supreme Court's order for the demolition of 48,000 jhuggis along Delhi's railway tracks, a senior official of the Delhi Government said on Friday.
The Supreme Court's order is for eviction but according to the Delhi Slum & J.J Rehabilitation and Relocation Policy, 2015, it is mandatory to rehabilitate the people living in the Jhuggis, the above-mentioned official said. The Court's order mentions 48,000 Jhuggies but the Railways' own survey shows 42,000 jhuggies, the Chief Engineer of DUSIB, SK Mahajan told Millennium Post.
"Out of the 42,000 that are to be evicted there are several that are beyond the safety zone. Now the Central Railway office needs to clarify if all the jhuggies need to be evicted or only the ones falling in the safety zone," Mahajan said.
A 15-metre gap between the outermost track and the boundary is called the safety zone and the people living in the zone are often prone to accidents and therefore require rehabilitation.
"If DUSIB were to only focus on rehabilitation of jhuggies falling in the safety zone then it would bring down the figure to 36,000 jhuggies which would come down to 28,000-30,000 jhuggies who are actually eligible and have proper paperwork," the Chief Engineer said.
Around 30,000-42,000 houses are available with DUSIB which can be used for rehabilitation on an immediate basis, Mahajan added. "We have sent the offer to Railways but they have not responded," he said.
On September 10, DUSIB wrote to GM Railways notifying them of the inventory and vacant houses available with it for rehabilitation. The second letter was written to Union Railways Minister on September 16 by Delhi Urban Development Minister Satyendar Jain.
Another slot of vacant houses is available with the DUSIB which includes 34,000 houses constructed by DSIDC and lie in the outskirts — Bawana, Tekri Kala — and 18,000 houses constructed by DUSIB. However, these houses are not eligible for the AAP-led Government's policy of 'Jahan Jhuggi, Wahan Makaan' as in situ rehabilitation is done in a 5 km radius.
