The Opposition parties on Sunday attacked the Delhi Government over the death of a six-month-old baby in the Shakur Basti area of West Delhi, saying it was “shameful” that no arrangements were made to rehabilitate people who were evicted from the spot as part of a Railways demolition drive.
The Congress criticised both the ruling APP in Delhi and the Centre for not making “alternative” arrangements for sheltering the evicted and questioned how it was possible that Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was in the dark about the “massive” demolition drive.
Delhi Congress chief Ajay Maken said that Kejriwal should have “intervened” while the drive was underway on Saturday and not afterwards. “It is shameful. Alternative arrangements should have been made before removing them. They were living there for two decades. When the Congress was in power, we never did this.”
“It is shameful that both the Centre and the Delhi Chief Minister could not prevent it,” he said after a visit to the site of the eviction drive. The former Union minister also took to twitter to target Kejriwal. “@ShivAroor @ArvindKejriwal Is it possible-CM never knew earlier about this massive slum demolitionIJ Should’ve acted before & not after! Entire 12 hrs of slum demolition or before- Kejriwal didn’t intervene- Pickup the phone to speak to Rail Minister or move to court!,” he tweeted.
Meanwhile, even as the ruling AAP has pointed the finger at the Railways over the death of the child, BJP leader RP Singh insisted that it was the Delhi Government which should have arranged for the rehabilitation of the evicted people through its Slum Board.
But he admitted that the Railways could have undertaken the evictions post winter. “The Delhi Government should have arranged for the rehabilitation of the evicted ones through its Slum Board.
“The board already has 5,000 flats which are vacant. These are supposed to be given to such people,” claimed Singh. He added at the same time that the “Railways should have waited another three-four months (for the winter to get over), but the Delhi Government should immediately act and arrange for flats with its Slum Board”.