E-Paper
Look into plight of Pak Hindus in Delhi slum, HC tells Centre
The petitioner has sought that 200 minority migrant families from Pakistan were living in Adarsh Nagar should be given power connections
The Delhi high court has asked the Union government to look into the plight of Hindu migrants from Pakistan living without electricity at a slum in the city’s Adarsh Nagar area.
“This court hopes and trusts that the Government of India will look into the plight of the migrants sympathetically, and shall file a proper affidavit positively within two weeks,” a bench of chief justice Satish Chandra Sharma and justice Subramonium Prasad said in an order on September 6, which was made available on Wednesday.
The matter will next be heard next on October 6.
The order came on the plea of one Hariom, who claims to be a social worker working for the welfare of minority migrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, who had moved the court last year highlighting that over 200 minority migrant families from Pakistan were living in Adarsh Nagar without electricity.
The plea sought directions for providing the migrants with electricity connections on the basis of their Aadhaar cards, long-term visa and passports under the Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission (Supply Code and Performance Standards) Regulations, 2017, and to include these documents as identity proof and Aadhaar card as proof of occupancy.
In its order, the court noted that the migrants, who arrived in India on long-term visas, were economically challenged, without a permanent place of shelter, and possessed Aadhaar cards.
“It has also been stated that there are small children, women in the area, and in absence of electricity it has become very difficult for these families to survive, and they are living in extremely harsh conditions,” it noted.
In its order, the court queried the Union government as to why the migrants had not been issued no objection certificates (NOCs) and asked the Centre to file its response within two weeks.
The court also noted the submission of the power distribution company that since the land in question over which the slum has been established belongs to the Government of India/Defence Department/Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, in absence of a NOC from the land-owning agency, it is not in a position to provide electricity connections.
An earlier affidavit filed by the defence estates officer, Delhi circle, Delhi Cantt, ministry of defence, stated that “not only is the answering respondent not the competent authority to provide electric connections or provide any assistance of any sort to migrants, but also in view of the illegal encroachment, the petition is not only misconceived and frivolous and deserves to be dismissed in limine (at the beginning).”
The petitioner’s counsel told the court that other similarly placed migrants from Pakistan living in Majnu Ka Tila have been provided prepaid meters/electricity connections.
He submitted that the migrants in the present case would not claim any right over the land in question on account of the fact that electricity has been provided to them and are even ready to pay for the electricity, and a prepaid meter can be installed in their premises.
