Artisan families from Kathputli Colony began shifting today to the transit camps as Delhi Development Authority assuring the community that the rehabilitation project there was "in their interest only".
"The families have started shifting today to the transit camp at Anand Parbat. And, in two years time, they will have their flats ready to be occupied at the Colony," a senior DDA official told PTI.
Named after the colourful community of puppeteers and artists, Kathputli Colony, is a slum cluster in West Delhi's Shadipur area housing about 3,000 families who earn their livelihood by practising their arts.
Under the proposed plan, a public-private-partnership (PPP) project between DDA and Raheja Developers, the families will be provided flats.
There have been reports of dissent among a few families who said "some wanted to stay in the colony only", which they said "was conducive to the kind of work they do".
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said "most of the families want to shift and is it only a handful who have some vested interest who are opposing it. I believe some slum-lords are there who are using threat tactics to stop families from shifting," the official said.
"We are offering them clean accommodation compared to the unhygienic one-room shanties they live in. And we are offering them a house larger than an average EWS scheme one. And, even at the transit camps, they will get all the facilities including electricity and anganwadis," the official added.
As per the plans drawn up in 2007, the community of puppeteers and performers at the colony will be shifted to Anand Parbat transit camps temporarily until the private developer builds multi-storeyed flats at the current site (in situ) to accommodate the families.
