The Hindu : Govt. to approach CEC over removal of slums

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Jun 13, 2003

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Govt. to approach CEC over removal of slums

By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI JUNE 12. Concerned over the "strategic uprooting'' of the poor slum dwellers in the Capital by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA), which is controlled by the BJP-led Central Government, the Delhi Chief Minister, Sheila Dikshit, and her Cabinet today approached the Chief Election Commissioner, J.M. Lyngdoh, and demanded a ban on all the demolitions and shifting of slum clusters till the Assembly elections due later this year.

In a letter written to Mr. Lyngdoh, Ms. Dikshit and her Cabinet colleagues have sought an appointment for apprising him of the situation in the Capital. Besides Ms. Dikshit, the letter was signed by all her Cabinet Ministers, Mahinder Singh Saathi, A.K. Walia, Raj Kumar Chauhan, Ajay Maken, Haroon Yusuf and Deep Chand Bandhu.

Protesting against the recent shifting of slum clusters on a large scale by the DDA, Ms. Dikshit alleged that this was a deliberate demographic manipulation aimed at benefiting the BJP during the forthcoming Assembly polls. Notably the poor living in the slums have traditionally voted for the Congress party. It is estimated that between 20-30 lakh people live in slum clusters in Delhi on DDA's land.

Drawing the attention of the Election Commission towards the indiscriminate removal of jhuggis in the Capital allegedly under the covert supervision of the Delhi BJP president, M.L. Khurana, and senior BJP leader, V.K. Malhotra, Ms. Dikshit claimed: "This is part of the planned exercise aimed at creating political advantage for the BJP through blatant misuse of State power and Government machinery.''

It is only recently that Ms. Dikshit had to personally rush to a slum cluster in Central Delhi to prevent the DDA from removing the poor slum dwellers in Delhi Sadar, the parliamentary constituency of Mr. Khurana. A few weeks later, her cabinet colleagues were detained by the police at Karampura where they had gone to protest and stop relocation of slum clusters.

Alleging that these demolition exercises were deliberate attempts at destabilising voters with the ultimate aim of disenfranchising them, Ms. Dikshit claimed that the entire game plan was to create a situation where these voters -- between 20 to 30 lakhs -- are not able to caste their franchise in the Assembly elections as these people are perceived to be voters of the Congress party.

Further, Ms. Dikshit said: "These inhumane and politically motivated demolition exercises that throw people away in wilderness are also in total contravention of the Supreme Court directives that make it essential to provide for an alternative resettlement plan with basic civic amenities before the relocation exercises are undertaken.''

Not only this, due to this uprooting, the poor slum dwellers lose their ration card and voters' identity card which are not always renewed thus denying thousands of eligible voters their basic rights to vote in a democracy, Ms. Dikshit said.

Urging Mr. Lyngdoh to take a serious view of the situation, Ms. Dikshit and her cabinet colleagues demanded that an order be passed "banning any demolitions, at least till the Assembly elections, so that justice prevails and no political party is allowed to take advantage by undertaking such devious tactics.''

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