DDA drawing new list of Delhi’s Kathputli colony residents
A total of 2,800 families had to be shifted out of which 1,150 families have already been relocated to a transit camp in Anand Parbat under the in-situ rehabilitation plan of DDA.
The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) on Wednesday said that every family living in Kathputli colony will get a house under the in-situ rehabilitation plan and the agency was in the process of updating its list in consultation with pradhan (heads) living in the colony.
According to an initial survey, a total of 2,800 families had to be shifted out of which 1,150 families have already been relocated to a transit camp in Anand Parbat.
“In 2011, we had done a survey. In the six years that followed, several new people moved into the camps. Also some people, who were earlier minors, have now turned into adults. Hence, we need to update the list,” said JP Agarwal, principal commissioner, DDA.
After holding meetings with some colony pradhans, the list was being revised and around 400 families are likely to be added, he said.
Agarwal added that some people, who had put up their houses on rent in the area, were spreading rumours in the area.
Read more: Destiny’s kathputli: Displacement makes survival tough for artisans
Kathputli colony, spread on 5.2-acre, was the first slum in the city to be taken up for in-situ redevelopment on a public-private partnership model in 2009. It has been more than seven years, but DDA has not been able to relocate all the people.
The scheme has hit roadblocks, with a section of people unwilling to move to Anand Parbat transit camp due to “lack of trust” The protesters have demanded that DDA should give a written submission in court of all the facilities that they would be given during the relocation process and afterwards.
On Wednesday, DDA also denied rumors that people were being forcefully evicted. Agarwal said he was hopeful that in next two months, all the people in the area would be relocated.
Talking about the police presence, the DDA principal commissioner added that security had been deployed not to terrify people but to ensure that no untoward incidents takes place.
“According to rules, the authority can use force to displace them, but we have not done so,” he said.