Kathputli demolition: Irreparable loss to students, says HC

The Delhi High Court today observed that an irreparable loss has been caused to the students of classes 10 and 12 who, along with their families, were displaced from Delhi's Kathputli Colony and moved to transit camps following a demolition drive.
A bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar told the authorities that if a demolition drive is done like this at a crucial time when students' exams are approaching in the future, the court would take stringent action.
"This is an irreparable loss to the students. There are several students in classes 10 and 12 who have been displaced," the bench said, adding that it cannot be denied that these children have to be relocated.

The Delhi government's standing counsel Satyakam assured the bench that these problems would be immediately looked into and said that it would provide transport to students to reach their schools.
The bench directed the AAP government and its transport department to ensure availability of facilities, including transportation, to these children and asked it to take immediate steps on the matter.
Regarding the concern expressed by court observers Monika Arora and Rakesh Kumar for provision of an adequate and efficacious public transportation facility to the persons who have been moved to the flats in Narela to commute to Shadipur Depot so that they could reach to their work place and, the government's counsel said it would start bus facility.

The counsel further said the persons, who have been moved from Shadipur area, can access to the public distribution system by changing their address through online facility.

The bench also directed the Delhi Development Authority that the persons, who have to be alloted alternative flats, be given in Kathputli Colony only and they be informed about it by specific letters.
It directed an inspection of the transit camps by the court observers and listed the matter for February 28.
The court was hearing a PIL filed by some residents of the colony challenging the demolition and the manner in which it was carried out in October-November last year.

It had earlier said that the court would ensure that the right to life of persons displaced from Kathputli Colony in west Delhi were not violated while refraining from taking action on the allegation that developers were hand-in-gloves with the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) during the demolition drive.
Spread over an area of around 14 acres, the Kathputli Colony was home to a large number of puppeteers, magicians, singers and musicians.