Kathputli colony residents allege coercion for demolition

A section of residents of Kathputli colony today demanded the removal of "heavy police force" deployed for the ongoing relocation drive while alleging that they were being "coerced" into giving demolition clearance.
A group of residents, assisted by NGOs like NAPM, placed their demands and shared grievances at a press conference here which also saw a few tense moments as DDA started demolishing a wall, claimed organisers.
"The wall belongs to DMRC. DDA started demolishing it as soon as the presser started claiming it had the necessary clearance from metro authorities. But DMRC did not take the consent of local people while giving the go ahead. Later, they had to retreat under public pressure," Amit Kumar of NAPM's Delhi unit said.

Aggrieved people told the media that the process through which consent for demolition, for subsequent redevelopment, was being taken was "opaque" and that laid down norms were being violated.
They demanded that police personnel be moved out of the area and the DDA camp be shifted out of the colony.
"Each eviction slip has to be signed by the jhuggi dweller concerned, that person's neighbour and the pradhan. But in many cases, the neighbours and the pradhan are being kept in the dark," Kumar said.

The recent DDA drive to temporarily shift the residents of the colony to a transit camp for its in-situ redevelopment started on December 19.

In a letter to Union Urban Development Minister Venkaiah Naidu, Delhi Minister Satyendar Jain has alleged that the residents were being "forced" to sign eviction slips and they are facing "homelessness".
In 2009, DDA had signed an agreement with a private developer for "in situ slum development" of the colony spread over 5.2 hectares of land.
The project proposes to resettle the resident families in multi-storey flats and the remaining land would be given for commercial purposes.