Jagmohan to look into evictions

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, MARCH 27. The Prime Minister, Mr. Atal Behari Vajpayee, has directed the Urban Development Minister, Mr. Jagmohan, to look into the issue of eviction of slum dwellers from colonies attached to railway properties and elsewhere.

The direction of the Prime Minister followed representation by three former Prime Ministers and leaders of the CPI(M) and CPI not to go ahead with the eviction without making alternative arrangements.

Former Prime Ministers - Mr. V.P. Singh, Mr. H.D. Deve Gowda and Mr. I.K. Gujral - and the general secretaries of the CPI(M) and the CPI, Mr. Harkishan Singh Surjeet and Mr. A.B. Bardhan respectively, called on Mr. Vajpayee and made a strong plea against the eviction without making alternative arrangements. Mr. Jagmohan was summoned to the meeting by the Prime Minister.

``The Prime Minister has assigned me the task to look into the issue of evictions raised by the three former Prime Ministers,'' Mr. Jagmohan said, emerging from the 40-minute meeting.

The meeting assumes significance as two days ago Mr. V.P. Singh had staged a dharna against the eviction of slum dwellers in the Wazirpur area here.

Mr. Singh said the delegation had impressed on Mr. Vajpayee the need for a comprehensive policy on the issue and the Supreme Court verdicts in the past on the need for provisions for alternative arrangements.

Later the former Prime Ministers, who recently came together to exchange views on important issues, met and discussed the emerging situation in Jammu and Kashmir. Besides the three former Prime Ministers who called on Mr. Vajpayee, another former Prime Minister, Mr. Chandra Sekhar, also joined the meeting.

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