NEW DELHI: People living in jhuggis at Bhoomiheen Camp in south Delhi's Govindpuri complained about Delhi Development Authority giving them notice to vacate the area and failing which their houses or structures would be demolished without intimation.
Subroto Mondal, a camp dweller, claimed that over 1,000 jhuggi residents were served the notice last month informing them that they were ineligible for allotment of EWS flats due to lack of the required documents. "I have been living here since 2005 and applied for an EWS flat along with all the documents. On November 17, DDA rejected my case saying that my voter card issued on May 1, 2015 didn't meet the cut-off date of January 1, 2015," said Mondal. "I took the matter to the appellate authority and submitted other documents to prove my existence. The judges also saw videos showing me present there. But on January 27, I received a notice asking me to shift out from the camp."
A DDA official clarified, "Of 2,891 households in Bhoomiheen Camp JJ cluster, 1,862 had complete documents and required under the rehabilitation/relocation policy of DUSIB and were, therefore, deemed eligible for new flats. But 1,029 households were declared ineligible for relocation and were given the opportunity to file an appeal before the appellate authority constituted by DDA under a retired district and sessions judge. Only persons found eligible by the appellate authority will be considered for allotment of EWS flats."
Randhir Kumar Kaushal, another camp resident, claimed to have been rejected by the appellate authority too. "I am living on the upper floor of a jhuggi so the question of having a separate electricity meter doesn't arise. But the appellate authority argued that the person must have a separate meter and ration card. A majority of the appeal cases have been rejected on the same grounds," he said.
Arun Das, 24, said that the family ration card doesn't include his name and the electricity meter is in his parents' name. "After 2015, the issue of ration cards in the area was stopped. So, I have sought legal help on the matter before I go to the appellate authority."
DDA said that the ineligible residents have been asked to make their own arrangements before the agency begins action to reclaim the lamp illegally occupied by Bhoomiheen Camp. The land will then be utilised for rehabilitating eligible residents of Navjeevan Camp and Jawaharlal Nehru Camp.
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