BJP, AAP Lock Horns Over Supreme Court's Order To Demolish Slum Along Railway Tracks In Delhi

After the Supreme court ordered the demolition of shanties along the railway tracks, the BJP has given a deadline to the AAP led Delhi government to rehabilitate the inhabitants or the party will intervene to do it. The AAP on the other hand has written to the Centre urging to not allow the demolition.

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New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Aam Admi Party (AAP) government in Delhi seem to be sparring over the recent Supreme Court order for demolishing shanties along the railway tracks in the capital. After the order, the Delhi BJP Chief Adesh Gupta warned the Kejriwal government that if they do not relocate the slum dewellers then the BJP will intervene and do it. In a report by PTI, Gupta said that the Delhi government has 50,000 vacant housing units of the city government. "Around 52,000 housing units were constructed under the Rajiv Ratan Awas Yojna by former Sheila Dikshit government. We demand Kejriwal to relocate slum dwellers who are going to be displaced due to the removal of 48,000 slum dwellings after the Supreme Court order," Gupta said in a press conference. He also reminded that the BJP-ruled Central government is committed to providing houses to each slum dweller under the 'Jahan Jhuggi Wahin Makan' scheme. “We are with those living in slum dwellings along the railway line, and will not let any injustice to happen to them," he said. On the other hand, on Friday, Aam Aadmi Party leader Raghav Chadha said during a press conference that the Delhi government had written to the centre urging it to not go ahead with the demolition. "We told them that if they cannot give houses to the slum dwellers, the Delhi government will do that. The city government has 45,857 houses to keep them. The BJP cannot take away the roof over their heads. In the letter, we have also declared that the notices pasted on the slum houses for razing them are illegal," said Chadha in a report by IANS. He also added, "This is the same BJP which had sought votes from these inhabitants during the elections. After a few months of elections, on August 18, they submitted the affidavit in the Supreme Court saying that they want to raze them, and AAP is not letting us do it," Chadha said in the report after reading from an alleged affidavit submitted by the Northern Railways. Meanwhile, Senior Congress leader Ajay Maken has filed an intervention application in the Supreme Court seeking rehabilitation of the slum dwellers who stand to lose their homes. On September 3, the SC ordered the removal of around 48,000 slum dwellings across railway tracks in Delhi within three months. The apex court also said that no political intervention will be allowed in this matter. The decision was taken because of the issue of piling up waste. A report by IANS says that in February the court had also asked the Environment Pollution (Prevention & Control) Authority (EPCA), Delhi government, and various Municipal Corporations to develop a plant for the waster material along railway tracks.