While the Bharatiya Janata Party is planning to take out a Rs thanks giving’ rally for the ordinance on slums, the Congress plans to burn the state government in effigy on the very same day across Uttarakhand. In support of the demand for granting ownership rights to slum dwellers, the Congress will burn the state government in effigy across the state on Tuesday. The Uttarakhand Pradesh Congress Committee president Pritam Singh said this while addressing the media here on Sunday.
Even as the State government is claiming credit for Rs saving’ slums from demolition for the time being, the Congress has accused the BJP of playing politics over slums. Speaking at the Press Club, the PCC chief accused the state government of playing politics over the ordinance it had recently brought to defer the demolition of slums. Singh said that during the term of the Congress-led government in the state,Uttarakhand Reforms, Regularisation, Rehabilitation, Resettlement and Prevention of Encroachment of Slums located in the Urban local Bodies of the State Act 2016 was passed by the Assembly. Further, a provision of Rs 400 crore had also been made for facilitating development of the slums. However, the BJP State government has failed to implement the existing Act. If there are shortcomings in the Act, they could have been amended but the State government preferred to misinform the slum dwellers by bringing out an ordinance. He said that while the BJP is busy felicitating its leaders for bringing out the ordinance in the interests of the slum dwellers, it would have been better if the chief minister facilitated ownership rights for the slum dwellers instead. He further said that the State Government had also failed to present its case effectively in the high court.
Former cabinet minister Dinesh Aggarwal and PCC vice president Suryakant Dhasmana were also among those present at the Press conference.