Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Thursday met Union Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu and urged him to stop the demolition of hutments around railway tracks in the national Capital. Sisodia met Prabhu in Rail Bhawan and sought time from the Central Government to build alternate houses for those living in the shanties around the tracks in Delhi’s 18 Assembly constituencies.
“If the State Government gets some time to provide alternate settlement to those residing in these jhuggis (hutments), it would benefit the poor. Immediate demolition would be inhuman,” said Sisodia. According to a statement issued by the Delhi Government, Prabhu assured Sisodia that the drive would be stopped till the time a solution is found.
“The Government will work with the railways to chalk out a plan to resettle residents,” it said. The Government is hopeful that the drive would stop until a solution is worked out. The State Government will work with the railways to chalk out a plan to resettle the residents of these Jhuggis. Officials of the Delhi Government have been asked to work with their counterparts in the Railways to work things out.