Centre wants to demolish all slums in Delhi, claims AAP

AAP alleges that recent actions by central government indicate motive to remove slum clusters.

The central government is conspiring to get rid of slum dwellers in Delhi even as they were promised pucca houses by the BJP before elections, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) claimed on Friday. Senior AAP leader Atishi alleged that all the land-owning agencies were asked to remove slums from across Delhi at a meeting held two days back at the Prime Minister's Office.

AAP leaders Atishi Singh and Saurabh Bharadwaj address a press conference at party office, in New Delhi, Friday, Jan. 12, 2024. (PTI)

“Two days ago, a meeting was held in the Prime Minister's Office. All the land-owning agencies of Delhi were called in this meeting, and they were asked to remove slums from across Delhi,” Atishi, a minister in the AAP-led Delhi government, said at a press conference.

The meeting was attended by senior officials of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, Delhi Development Authority (DDA), Railways and other agencies, she further claimed.

Atishi pointed to the demolition of a slum cluster near Sunder Nursery by the Land and Development Office (L&DO), which falls under the union ministry for housing and urban affairs, alleging that the recent actions by the central government are indicator of its motive.

In November, a slum cluster between Sundar Nursery and Delhi Public School inhabited by about 1,000 to 1,500 people, most of whom worked as ragpickers, street hawkers, maids and labourers, was demolished following a court's order.

The slum dwellers had claimed that they were asked to vacate their houses in two days with no offer from the government for relocation.

“Demolition wasn't even allowed during GRAP (graded action response plan) but they received special permission to remove the slum cluster,” Atishi said.

Referring to the tall green walls erected around the roadside slums during the G20 Summit, the minister alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi feels ashamed of slum dwellers.

Another AAP minister, Saurabh Bharadwaj, asserted that the governments owning such pieces of land have the responsibility to rehabilitate the slum dwellers demolishing the jhuggis.