New Delhi

Pushta dwellers back, DDA promises action

By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI, MAY 27. With a number of illegal occupants returning to the Yamuna Pushta from where they were removed recently by the Delhi Development Authority and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi pursuant to the March 2003 orders of the Delhi High Court, the DDA has instructed its senior officials to look into the matter as it continues to be the custodian of the land and would find itself in contempt of court by not fulfilling its responsibility.

Denying that "political compulsions'' had any role to play in this reversal of the relocation process, the Vice-Chairman of DDA, Madhukar Gupta, said today that the land cleared by the department once would remain clear and the agency would not allow any change in that position. "I have heard reports about some people returning to the area and have asked my senior officers to look into the matter,'' he added.

Noting that some "ineligible people'' - comprising those who did not qualify for rehabilitation or those who could not be rehabilitated -- were again trying to settle down at the place, Mr Gupta said the officials have been told to remain vigilant and submit a report after a proper physical inspection of the area. He said while DDA was earlier not able to start fencing work due to presence of a large amount of rubble, it would be cordoning off the area soon to prevent any encroachment. With the officials having been instructed to perform all the related works in a time-bound manner, he assured that the Yamuna Pushta land will remain cleared at all costs.

The issue had raised many eyebrows as the return of the dwellers almost coincided with the defeat of the BJP candidate from New Delhi constituency, Jagmohan, for whose tourism and greenery project on the banks of the Yamuna about 40,000 slum tenements were removed from the banks of the river between March and May this year.

Though the project had been approved by the Delhi High Court, the rehabilitation drew the ire of a lot of residents as the civic agencies sought to settle them at far-off Holambi Kalan, Madanpur Khadar and Bawana. In fact, so angry were these residents, that many of them returned with vengeance to vote against Mr Jagmohan, who indeed lost his seat to Ajay Maken of the Congress.

With BJP losing badly in the elections, the hopes of returning to the place from where they were ousted had rekindled for these dwellers. But though the Congress believes and has often said that most of these dwellers are its vote-bank and that is why Mr Jagmohan had sought to remove them, their return under the prevailing circumstances is coming under close scrutiny.

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