The Delhi government has written to the Northern Railway, urging it not to demolish the slums along the city’s train tracks without first rehabilitating their inhabitants.
The letter, from the government’s Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB), said that the slum housing units, which the railway company must demolish in compliance with a Supreme Court order, are protected by the provisions of Delhi NCT Laws (Special Provision) Second Law, 2011.
“It is clarified that according to the provisions of … of the Delhi NCT Laws (special provision) Second Law, 2011, … JJ (jhuggi jhopri) bastis that have appeared before 01.01.2006 are protected and will not be removed without an orderly arrangement for the relocation and rehabilitation of the inhabitants of JJ and jhuggi jhopri conglomerates in the Delhi NCT in accordance with the provisions of the DUSIB Act of 2010, ”the letter reads.
“Therefore, you are requested not to demolish jhuggis situated on railway grounds without providing alternative accommodation in accordance with the provisions of the JJJ and Delhi Slum Rehabilitation and Relocation Policy 2015,” he added.
The content of the letter dated September 10, the copy of which was seen by HT, was approved by DUSIB vice president and urban development minister Satyendar Jain.
DUSIB also mentioned that slum dwellers are eligible for alternative housing under the Delhi Slum Rehabilitation and Relocation Policy and JJ, 2015. The letter cited these rules when referring to eviction notices sent by Northern Railway slum dwellers in recent days.
The Northern Railroad action came after the Supreme Court, on August 31, ordered the removal of 48,000 slums along the railroad tracks within three months. To ensure compliance with his order, the higher court also prevented all other courts from issuing a stay order on his removal.
In its letter, the Delhi government also attached a list of 45,857 apartments built by DUSIB under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM), which it has now offered for the rehabilitation of slum dwellers, albeit at a cost.
He declared that Ferrocarriles, which is the agency that owns the land in this matter, must pay the cost of construction of alternative housing units; the cost of the land, according to the institutional rate at which DUSIB purchased the land; and the cost of relocation.
According to the Delhi Slum Rehabilitation Policy, relocation charges range from ₹ 7.55 lakh to ₹ 11.30 lakh per apartment, depending on the location of the apartment.
Of the 45,857 flats, 29,257 are “ready to go” units located in areas such as Sultanpuri, Savda Ghevra, Bhalswa, Bawana and Narela. The remaining 16,600 apartments are located in Tikri and Pooth Khurd, the government said, and will be ready by December 2021.
The DUSIB, however, said that some of the funds granted by the central government for the construction of apartments could be adjusted to the amount payable by the agency that owns the land (Ferrocarriles).
Repeated calls and text messages to the Northern Railway spokesperson for comment on the matter went unanswered.
According to the Delhi Slum Rehabilitation Policy, DUSIB is the nodal agency for slum rehabilitation and relocation with respect to land owned by the municipal corporations and the Delhi government and its departments and agencies.
The policy insists on “on-site” rehabilitation of slum dwellers where the DUSIB must provide alternative housing on the same land or within a 5 km radius of the original dwelling. However, in exceptional circumstances, the DUSIB may also be moved inland, beyond the 5 km radius, with the prior approval of its board.
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