Government committed to provide homes to poor: Satyendar Jain

Delhi urban development minister Satyendar Jain on Friday said that his government is committed to provide homes to people belonging to poor sections of society. The minister inspected two land sites in Bhalswa Dairy and Raja Garden where the AAP government has planned to construct flats for economically weaker section as part of its policy to rehabilitate the city’s slum dwellers.

“It is my endeavour to provide housing to the economically weaker sections of society, with all civic amenities. We aim to resettle the homeless so that no one is without shelter,” Mr Jain said while inspecting the land sites acquired by Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB) for constructing housing for the poor.

He also said that the Delhi government has focused on site rehabilitation of slums in Delhi. “Relocation would be done only if there is a court order or if the encroached land is required for a specific public project,” he said.

The DUSIB is primarily responsible for improving the quality of life of slum dwellers in Delhi. The Slum and JJ Department which was earlier part of MCD has now been transferred to DUSIB, where the chief minister is the chairperson.

Mr Jain, who was recently given the charge of urban development department which was earlier with deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, inspected land sites acquired by DUSIB in north Delhi’s Bhalswa Dairy and Raja Garden.

Earlier this month, the Kejriwal government had approved the new slum and jhugg-jhopdi rehabilitation policy under which slums which came up before January 2015 will not be demolished without providing alternative accommodation to its dwellers.

As per the decision, the cut-off date for eligibility for alternative accommodation for slum and jhuggi-jhopri dwellers has been revised from June 4, 2009 to January 1, 2015, but JJ clusters must have been in existence prior to January 1, 2006. “Attempts will be made to rehabilitate eligible jhuggi jhopri dwellers at the same location or a nearby place within a radius of five kilometres,” an official said.