Now Reading: Delhi HC gives slum dwellers six weeks to vacate near PM house
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Delhi HC gives slum dwellers six weeks to vacate near PM house
The Delhi High Court on Tuesday gave residents of three slum clusters near the Prime Minister's official residence in Lok Kalyan Marg six weeks to vacate their houses and relocate to alternative…
The Delhi High Court on Tuesday gave residents of three slum clusters near the Prime Minister's official residence in Lok Kalyan Marg six weeks to vacate their houses and relocate to alternative accommodation. The bench of Chief Justice DK Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia directed residents of Bhai Ram Camp, Masjid Camp and DID Colony to vacate within six weeks and settle at the DUSIB Colony in Savda Ghevra. After that period, the government may evict them with police assistance to clear the land.
The court constituted a monitoring committee under retired judge Man Mohan Sharma to supervise the rehabilitation process, ensure amenities including schools, electricity, LPG connections and dispensaries are provided, and transport residents' belongings. The bench stressed the rehabilitation must be 'meaningful' and respect the right to life with dignity under Article 21. The order came on appeals against a single judge's May 11 eviction ruling, which had initially given residents 15 days to vacate. The government had argued the slums lie in a protected zone next to an operational Air Force station.
Indian Opinion Analysis
This is not the first time the Savda Ghevra relocation site has been at the centre of a court-monitored rehabilitation. In 2023 the Delhi High Court directed DUSIB to complete basic amenities at the same colony after residents complained of missing schools, dispensaries and drinking water. The monitoring committee appointed in this case is a standard mechanism the court uses when earlier undertakings have not been fully honoured. Under the Delhi Slum Rehabilitation Policy 2015, evicted slum dwellers are entitled to alternative housing within 30 km of their original site if in-situ redevelopment is infeasible, Savda Ghevra, on the city's northwestern fringe, meets that distance criterion. The 717 households involved are being relocated because their huts sit on land the Air Force considers a security risk adjacent to the Palam base. The committee's first report on progress is expected within the six-week period.
Source: indiatoday.in
This brief was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
