Delhi Congress to fight the case of uprooted families of Chilla Khader—Devender Yadav

 Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee president Shri Devender Yadav said that the Congress Government had framed a policy not to demolish dwelling units without providing alternate accommodation, but under the Kejriwal and Modi Governments, the welfare of the poor have become least of their concerns, which was evident from the recent demolition of nearly 200 houses at Yamuna Khader by the Delhi Development Authority without giving advance notice to drive hundreds of people out of their houses, though they possessed all relevant documents to prove their identity, as they have been living and carryout farming activities at the Yamuna floodplanes for the past over 40 years. He said that when the spectre of demolitions was hanging on unauthorized colonies, the Congress-led UPA Government had framed a policy in 2007 which protected the dwelling units of over 40-45 lakh people, and the Congress Government gave them provisional certificates to protect them from demolition, but the BJP and AAP Governments seemed to have made a policy to uproot the poor from Delhi. He said that the Congress party will spare no effort to protect if the poor are uprooted without relocating them.

 

Addressing a press conference at the DPCC office, Rajiv Bhawan here today, former DPCC president Ch. Anil Choudhary said that the DDA, in violation of the court order, demolished nearly 200 houses at Chilla Khader to drive hundreds of poor people into the open without any alternative place to relocate them, though they possessed valid residential proofs. Members of affected families, Patpargaj District Congress Committee president Advocate Dinesh Kumar and Advocate Vipin Kumar were also present at the press conference.

 

Ch.Anil Kumar said that the DDA misrepresented in the court that the  poor people living in Chilla Khader who eke out a living through farming on the Yamuna floodplanes were doing commercial activity, and within two days after the court order, DDA came with bulldozers early morning to demolish the houses of the farmers, when children were preparing to go to schools, and the old were sleeping, without even providing tents nearby to relocate them, which was inhuman and against the direction of the court. He said that from Okla Barrage to Chilla Khader, nearly 1500 families carry out farming activities on the Yamuna floodplanes, and they possess all relevant documents to do farming, and it was only a means to earn their livelihood.

 

Ch/ Anil Kumar said that Delhi Congress will meet the Lt. Governor and other concerned authorities, and approach the higher court if need be, to get justice for these uprooted people, as they were also about to harvest their farm products which will now get submerged in waters as water has been released from the Hathni Kund barrage in Haryana.

Ch. Anil Kumar said that the Kejriwal Government has not made any scheme to provide houses under the Mukhya Mantri Awaz Yojana to those living on DDA, O-Zone etc. lands and even the Prime Minister has kept them out of the PM Uday scheme. He said that the Kejriwal Government changed the rehabilitation policy framed by the Congress Government to harm the poor people living on lands owned by various Government agencies. He said that the Congress Government, at a cost of over Rs 2000 crore, had constructed 45,000 flats under the Rajiv Rattan Awaz Yojna, but these flats have not yet been allotted to the slum dwellers for whom they  were constructed.