V P Singh slams Govt for lack of rehabilitation for slum dwellers

New Delhi, Dec 19 (UNI) Slamming the Central and the State Governments for uprooting thousands of slum dwellers in Delhi without rehabilitating them in alternate accommodations, former Prime Minister V P Singh today theatened to launch an agitation on the issue under the aegis of his Jan Morcha.

He alleged that slum dwellers in about 12 JJ clusters in various parts of Delhi had been uprooted from their shanties without following the proper procedure as stipulated in the Central Government's slum relocation policy, including providing them alternate plots.

''Demolishing the hutments of these poor people and leaving them shelterless, specially in this winter season, amounts to infringement of the basic human rights of these people,'' the former Prime Minister said.

Addressing reporters here, amid the presence of hundreds of residents of JJ clusters whose dwellings were demolished recently, Mr Singh said,''these draconian steps by the concerned departments, particularly the DDA, MCD and the PWD, will cause the loss of democratic and Fundamental right to vote to all these slum dwellers whose names have been removed from voter lists immediately after demolitions of their shelters.

This is a deliberate ploy to keep them out of the electoral process during the impending Municipal elections.'' Speaking on the occasion, actor-turned-MP Raj Babbar said,''this is clearly a case of Human Rights violation. Specially painful is the situation of children of these families who have been recieving education in schools located near the JJ clusters. However, with the demolition of these slum clusters, these children have been divested of their educational opportunities.'' Addressing reporters, former commissioner, slums and resettlement (DDA), Manjit Singh said residents of 12 JJ clusters in Delhi, including those at Naraina, Dev Nagar, Mayur Vihar, Jahangirpuri and Geeta Colony has been divested of their hutments by the authorities without granting them alternate accomodation as provided for in the Centre's relocation policy for slum dwellers in Delhi.

''The policy provides for granting an 18 sq m plot to those living in hutments existing before 1990 while 12.5 sq m plots will be given to those whose hutments existed between 1990 and 1998.

However, none of them have been provided any alternate accommodation,''Mr Singh said.

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