21 sites to rehabilitate Kashmiri migrant shopowners: Centre to HC

The union government has informed the Delhi High Court that it has identified 21 sites to rehabilitate a group of Kashmiri migrants whose shops were demolished for being illegal construction without serving them any notice in 2007.

The union government has informed the Delhi High Court that it has identified 21 sites to rehabilitate a group of Kashmiri migrants whose shops were demolished for being illegal construction without serving them any notice in 2007.

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The court also directed NDMC to pass an appropriate order for allotment of alternative sites to the shop owners.

The union government's counsel submitted before Justice S Muralidhar that the Urban Development Ministry has identified 21 sites measuring 4X6 feet for rehabilitation of these migrants.

Earlier, the Delhi High Court had said 20 years after their migration to Delhi due to insurgency in Kashmir valley, very little has been done for rehabilitation of Kashmiri Pandits and directed union government for rehabilitation of the shop-owners.

In a petition, the shop owners alleged that on February 26, 2007, their shops in INA market had been demolished by civic agencies citing a High Court Division Bench order without serving them any prior notice.

Contending that an order of the Monitoring Committee, set up by the Court to monitor the demolition drive in the city, which protected them was not furnished by the agencies before the Division Bench.