Delhi High Court asks DDA not to demolish slum in Vasant Kunj

NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court today directed DDA not to demolish a slum cluster in Vasant Kunj here as had been planned by the authority tomorrow.

Justice V K Shali asked the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) not to carry out the demolition as he wanted to go through the petition filed on behalf of the residents of the slum, Dalit Ekta Camp.

The court listed the matter for hearing tomorrow and asked the Delhi government to place on record the orders of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) for removal of the slum.

It observed that heavens will not fall if the demolition is not carried out in the next few days.

Meanwhile, in another matter relating to demolition of a slum cluster - Jhuggi Jhopri camp - near Rangpur pahar nala, another single judge bench of the court said it will hear the matter on December 4.

In the second matter, Justice Vibhu Bakhru asked the city government to explore the possibility of relocating the members of the slum.

The court observed that if the area is a forest land, it has to be protected as "otherwise anyone can come and squat on forest land".

"Government's inaction over a period of time can't be capitalised upon," it also observed.

The court renotified the matter to December 4 after the city government said no demolition is expected to take place in the next two days.

Both slums have approached the court apprehending that the houses there would be demolished, as had been done on November 25 in the case of another cluster Israil camp, located in the same area.

Advocate Prashant Bhushan, who appeared in the first matter, said that as per an earlier order of the high court the demolition of a slum cluster should be carried out only if it would serve a public purpose and in such a case the residents need to be relocated or rehabilitated first.