Delhi HC seeks Centre, govt response on plea by oustees of Gol Market seeking flats

The plea said the eligibility of petitioners for rehabilitation was established and full payment has been made to the authorities for rehabilitation under a 2015 policy of the Delhi government, according to which the eligible families will get ownership rights over the allotted apartment

The Delhi high court has sought the response of the Union government and the Delhi government on a plea by more than 60 families, who had approached the court seeking allotment of flats as part of a rehabilitation scheme announced after their shanties were removed from Gol Dak Khana.

Justice Rekha Palli issued notice to the ministry of housing and urban affairs (MHUA), the urban development department of the Delhi government, and the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB) on the petition which contended that these families were illegally evicted from Gol Market in Central Delhi in 2010. (Representative image)

Justice Rekha Palli issued notice to the ministry of housing and urban affairs (MHUA), the urban development department of the Delhi government, and the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB) on the petition which contended that these families were illegally evicted from Gol Market in Central Delhi in 2010.

The plea said ever since the eviction, and in compliance to an October 2011 order of the authorities, they are staying at a community centre which was turned into a shelter home.

The plea said the eligibility of petitioners for rehabilitation was established and full payment has been made to the authorities for rehabilitation under a 2015 policy of the Delhi government, according to which the eligible families will get ownership rights over the allotted apartment.

The plea challenged a December 2020 circular issued by the MHUA that said all vacant and under-construction houses under erstwhile schemes — Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JnNURM) and Rajiv Awas Yojana (RAY) — will be available as affordable rental houses for urban migrants and the poor.

The petitioners submitted that even though they were entitled to be allotted flats by DUSIB and the MHUA as a part of the rehabilitation scheme, they have not been allotted the same on account of the December 2020 circular of the MHUA.