AAP MLA Shri Sanjeev Jha said that the anti-poor face of the BJP has emerged again. While the Delhi government is creating camps for those living on the streets and constructing DUSIB shelter houses, the BJP attempted to run bulldozers on Jangpura’s slums in such cold weather. On one side, Construction & Demolition are banned due to pollution, and on the other, notices to bulldoze homes are being issued. The AAP is in the government of Delhi, but there are seven BJP MPs; slum dwellers voted for you, so what revenge are you taking from them? Meanwhile, MLA Shri Praveen Kumar stated that the High Court had previously clearly mentioned stopping encroachments and reiterated yesterday that government policy should be immediately implemented without any neglect of it. Violating the court’s decision, the Land & Development Office (L&DO) marked and began breaking homes of the poor yesterday. When I showed them papers and asked if they hadn’t received a lawyer’s call, they admitted they had. Yet the L&DO officials continued operating the bulldozer. The DUSIB and the Delhi government’s lawyers and standing counsel are consistently fighting this case in court. The AAP stands with the poor in their struggle.
The AAP MLA from Burari constituency, Shri Sanjeev Jha and Jangpura MLA Shri Praveen Kumar addressed a press conference at the party headquarters on a crucial issue related to Delhi on Wednesday.
Burari MLA Shri Sanjeev Jha stated, “The BJP, with its anti-poor stance, continues its attempts to demolish the homes of the poor and marginalized people living in slums continuously. In December 2022, shanties were demolished in Okhla, leading to the arrest of AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan for opposing it. Similarly, the DDA attempted to demolish slums in Govindpuri. MLA Atishi, currently a minister, protested and brought the matter to court. Five months ago, the DDA demolished slums in Kasturba Nagar. Even slums in the Vasant Vihar area were torn down. Why do the BJP leaders hold such animosity towards the poor people living in slums? Now, as the cold sets in, on one hand, the Delhi government is setting up camps for those living on the streets and constructing the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB) shelter houses, while on the other hand, BJP attempted to run bulldozers in a locality in Jangpura.”
The Burari MLA mentioned, “We’ve received information that where these slums are settled, the DUSIB had issued a notice. The central government intentionally turned a blind eye towards DUSIB, making two other individuals party to the case without consulting DUSIB. Then the court ordered the demolition of slums. As soon as Jangpura MLA Shri Praveen Kumar received this information, he approached the court with DUSIB. The DUSIB stated that since a notice had been issued regarding this cluster, it couldn’t be demolished. Secondly, there are bans in various phases related to pollution. On one side, we say there’s a ban on Construction & Demolition, while on the other side, notices to bulldoze homes are issued. I believe the haste is because the BJP doesn’t want the poor to stay in Delhi. This is extremely shameful. There’s an AAP government in Delhi, yet there are also seven BJP MPs. I want to ask all those MPs, the poor people living in slums voted for you, so what revenge are you taking from them? In the cold weather, you are snatching their homes away; this goes against humanity. Such actions should not be taken against the poor; this encroachment needs to be immediately stopped.”
During this, AAP MLA Shri Praveen Kumar elaborating on the matter stated that it concerns the JJ Cluster behind the Sunder Nursery DPS School. Under DUSIB’s jurisdiction, legally, there are 675 clusters, which include the JJ Cluster. The central government is also aware of this. The DUSIB has been providing services in that area for many years. Among these 675 clusters, Cluster 223 is the DPS Sunder Nursery Mathura Road cluster, where DUSIB has registered around 216 slums. This case dates back to 2019 when two parties went to court. Since that land belongs to the L&DO, the court had instructed the L&DO to stop encroachments. The High Court had previously clarified this, and in yesterday’s decision, it was reiterated that government policy should not be neglected. Government policy should be implemented at the ground level, and work should be carried out accordingly.
The AAP MLA from Jangpura mentioned, “Despite the court’s decision, L&DO began marking and breaking homes yesterday. Even though the court verbally instructed that there should be no demolition until 10:30 AM, encroachment still occurred. This is a violation of the court’s decision. When I showed papers on the ground and asked if they hadn’t received a lawyer’s call, they admitted they had. Yet L&DO officials continued operating the bulldozer. This entire case shows how the central government wants to render the poor homeless across the country. The AAP demands that the court’s order be implemented. The land belongs to L&DO and it’s DDA’s responsibility to provide relocation, but DDA has not formulated any relocation policy yet, nor have they held any meeting regarding DUSIB’s notice. L&DO should summon the DUSIB and ensure the safety of clusters under DUSIB. Lawyers from the AAP, DUSIB, and the standing counsel of the Delhi government are consistently fighting this case in court. The AAP is fully prepared to protect the dwellings of the poor and fight for their rights.”
