Fresh survey by DDA raises alarm at Kathputli Colony
Many large-sized families in the Kathputli slums with 8-12 members live in cramped two-storied houses.
New Delhi: The Delhi Development Authority’s (DDA) decision to conduct a fresh survey in chock-a-block Kathputli slums has raised the alarm, with some residents demanding adequate representation in the survey team.
Following the last week’s meeting chaired by lieutenant-governor Anil Baijal, the Central land-owning agency had decided to revise the cut-off date for identification of beneficiaries of the in-situ slum development project. More than 3,600 families live in the hardscrabble neighbourhood of Shadipur, according to a survey conducted by a local residents’ welfare association in 2014.
“Our people should also be made part of the DDA’s survey team. We have people from twelve different regions living here,” Ram Dulare Verma, a local resident said. Mr Verma claimed that if the revised cut-off date of January 1, 2015 is adhered to, the household count could go up to 4,000.
After the Supreme Court’s orders, the DDA had started demolition drive in Kathputli Colony in December last year. Ever since, the land-owning agency has been nudging to voluntarily shift to a nearby transit camp, so that the redevelopment work could begin.
The earlier cut-off date of January 31, 2011, was one of the major hurdles for the DDA’s demolition drive, as locals claimed that hundreds of families were not counted in the survey. Based on the authority’s 2011 survey, 2,641 families were found eligible. So far, over 1200 families have been shifted to the transit camp, located 4.8 km from Kathputli Colony, a DDA official said. The transit camp at Anand Parbat has 2,800 one-room units made of aerocon panels, with over 200 toilets. “How am I supposed to stay in that one room with my son, daughter-in-laws and their two children? Is there no shame left in this world?” said Chanda, who works as a domestic help. She lives in a single-storied building at Kathputli Colony and has not signed up to move to the transit camp. Many large-sized families in the Kathputli slums with 8-12 members live in cramped two-storied houses. As per the DDA’s plan, each household, irrespective of its size, is going to get one flat each in the multi-storey apartments that will replace the slums.
In 2009, the DDA had signed a Rs 6 crore-deal with Raheja Developers to build apartment blocks to resettle resident families and use the remainder of 5.2-hectare Kathputli Colony land to build commercial properties. A large number of families in the area are of puppeteers, dancers, acrobats, magicians, folk singers and wood-carvers.
“We have been living here for the last 60 years. But now that the Delhi Metro has changed the landscape and the DDA wants to cheat us,” sais Mohammed Maqsood, a local resident who was participating in a small local protest rally, said.
“The entire agreement is one-sided. How will we pay for the upkeep and maintenance of the apartments? Many can’t even pay for their electricity bills regularly,” he said. As per the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB) guidelines, the Aam Aadmi Party government has set the cut-off date of January 2015 in order to include a majority of slum dwellers. DDA officials said that the eviction process is expected to be completed in the next two months.
More than 3,600 families live in the hardscrabble neighbourhood of Shadipur, according to a survey conducted by a local residents’ welfare association in 2014.
After the Supreme Court’s orders, the DDA had started demolition drive in Kathputli Colony in December last year. Revised cut-off date of January 1, 2015
The earlier cut-off date of January 31, 2011 was one of the major hurdles for the DDA’s demolition drive
Based on the authority’s 2011 survey, 2,641 families were found eligible. So far, over 1200 families have been shifted to the transit camp, located 4.8 km from Kathputli Colony, a DDA official said.
Many large-sized families in the Kathputli slums with 8-12 members live in cramped two-storied houses.
In 2009, the DDA had signed a Rs 6 crore-deal with Raheja Developers to build apartment blocks to resettle resident families and use the remainder of 5.2-hectare Kathputli Colony land to build commercial properties.
A large number of families in the area are of puppeteers, dancers, acrobats, magicians, folk singers, wood-carvers and a host of other craftspeople.