New Delhi: Delhi Congress president Devender Yadav opposed the proposed demolition of houses in Aali village on Monday, demanding that around 25,000 residents be provided alternative accommodation before any displacement.
Yadav, who visited the village in South Delhi and met the residents, claimed around 1,800-2,000 houses were facing demolition and alleged that the BJP government and the DDA were displacing people without making arrangements for their rehabilitation.
“The BJP government should tell where they would go after uprooting 25,000 people of Aali village. The government should stop destroying the poor without rehabilitating them,” Yadav said in a statement.
He demanded that the residents, who he said had been living in the area for 70-80 years, should not be displaced without being provided in-situ housing under the ‘Jahan Jhuggi, Wahi Makaan’ policy followed by the previous Congress government, the statement read.
Yadav alleged that the BJP had promised during the Delhi Assembly elections that no slum or house would be demolished without rehabilitation, but had moved towards clearing slum clusters after coming to power. He said the Congress had supported demolition only after alternative accommodation was provided to affected families.
“The government should immediately stop the bulldozer action on humanitarian grounds and provide relief to the affected people,” he said in the statement.
The Congress leader also alleged that no compensation or alternative housing had been announced for the affected families and said the demolition threatened the livelihoods and schooling of residents' children.
Yadav said the Congress would stand with the residents of Aali village and work to ensure that they received rehabilitation.
There was no immediate reaction from the Rekha Gupta-led Delhi government or agencies concerned to the claims made by the Congress.
