'Okay our slum policy', Kejriwal urges Baijal

NEW DELHI: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday urged Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal to approve the AAP government's slum policy, which will allow the administration to build up houses for the slum dwellers near their 'jhuggis' (slums).

As the part of the promise to make the Capital open defecation free, Kejriwal inaugurated 1,206 community toilets on Wednesday at JJ colony in Punjabi Bagh. Addressing a gathering after the inauguration, he sought to know why was the LG sitting on the file for a long time.

"The policy we passed in the cabinet will hold us to make houses for the people near the slums and this will help all the slum dwellers across the city," the CM said. Pointing to the delay of clearing the file by LG, he added there should not be any kind of politics with this issue as it would help the poor people.

The proposed 'Slum and JJ Rehabilitation and Relocation' policy of the city government ensure 'in situ' rehabilitation of slum dwellers. The proposed slum policy of the Delhi government also promises that no jhuggis will be demolished before their occupants are rehabilitated in the city. The policy has been cleared by the Delhi cabinet. The CM assured the people that the government would start building houses the day after the project is approved. Kejriwal also informed that he is ready to meet the LG to discuss if there is any problem found in the policy.

Earlier, Delhi government took the initiative of making toilets in slums to provide a dignified life to dwellers. It also found that this project will save women from various atrocities which happen due to lack of toilets.

However, Kejriwal asserted that, "In the last two-and-a-half years, the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) and other agencies had tried to demolish jhuggis, but we did not allow them to do so."