DDA officials refuse to appear before Delhi Assembly panel over Kathputli dwellers issue

NEW DELHI: The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) officials refused to appear before the Petitions Committee of Delhi Assembly over poor living conditions at the transit camp for dwellers of Kathputli Colony on Friday. However, officials of private builder Raheja Developers appeared before the Petitions Committee hearing, said Delhi Assembly Secretariat Sources.

Petitions Committee of Delhi Assembly under Chairman Saurabh Bhardwaj held a hearing on Friday on the unhygienic conditions at the transit camp at Anand Parbat.

According to sources, DDA refused to appear before the Petitions Committee meeting by saying "DDA comes under the Centre government, so the DDA is not liable to Delhi Assembly Committee". When the Raheja Developers started the demolition of Kathputli Colony under the supervision of DDA, 1,200 families were accommodated in the transit camp at Anand Parbat. Raheja Developers developed 2,800 one-room units made of corrugated panels with 40 mobile toilets and 200 fixed toilets in the transit camp. It also has four tanks of 50 kiloliter capacity each and a sewage treatment plant.

The Petitions Committee has ordered Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board chief Sukhbir Singh to inspect the entire situation. He was asked to report how many people were accommodated in the transit camp and its living conditions.

It is pertinent to mention that Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had visited the site of transit camp and pulled up officials of the DDA and the private builder over poor living conditions at the transit camp.