Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Sunday that he will raise the demolition drive in Shakur basti of 500 slums dwellings and death of a baby at the site with railway minister Suresh Prabhu as he was not satisfied with the ministry officials’ response.
“In the meeting, Railway officials told the CM that there is no rehabilitation scheme before demolition. The chief minister completely rejected the claims of the Railways,” a Delhi government official was quoted by PTI.
The Delhi government has also ordered a magisterial probe into the demolition of 1200 slum units at Shakur basti in West Delhi and planned to move court seeking FIR against those who ordered the action citing the Special Provision Act according to which no demolition can be carried out until government needs land urgently.
After meeting the evicted dwellers, Kejriwal said that those people had been living there since 1992-94, but in one moment, Railway demolished the shanties.
Kejriwal had earlier expressed deep anguish over the demolition of 500 slums by the Railways, leading to the death of one child.
Taking to twitter, an angry Kejriwal said that ‘God will never forgive’ the culprits for their inhuman act of rendering hundreds of people homeless in ‘this freezing cold.’
After meeting the families, the Delhi CM announced that he had suspended two SDMs and one SE for dereliction of duty.
He said, ” Coming back from the demolition site. Heart rending scenes. How cud our own countrymen do this to our poorest fellow countrymen. Suspended 2 SDMs n one SE for not providing relief. Ordered officers to provide blankets now and food from morning.”