The Delhi minister said the hapless people should be provided with basic amenities on humanitarian grounds.
Bharadwaj comes in support of Pak refugees in Delhi living under the shadow of bulldozer
Delhi minister and senior AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj on Thursday alleged that the agencies functioning under the Central government in Delhi are out to demolish the homes of the Hindu refugees from Pakistan at Majnu Ka Tila.
Addressing a press conference here, Bharadwaj said the refugees living near the Gurudwara Majnu Ka Tila are afraid of bulldozer action after the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) issued notices to them. They anticipate demolition of their houses either on Thursday or Friday.
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The minister, in response to a question, said the law has a provision to accord citizenship to the people. Until this happens, the refugees, who have managed to escape from Pakistan for their lives, should be provided with basic amenities on humanitarian grounds.
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“If the DDA had sent a letter to me as the vice-chairman of Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB), I would have provided basic facilities to them through the board,” Bharadwaj said.
Questioning the raw deal being meted out to the hapless people, the minister asked the LG, under whom the agencies function, if he had an enmity with the poor.
The AAP leader pointed out that a DUSIB-listed cluster behind the Sunder Nursery was demolished before serving notices on the Mehrauli and then the RK Puram sector 12 clusters. He alleged that the court had been misled with wrong information.
Taking a dig at the LG, he said on the one hand, he takes up the issues of civic woes of the poor with the government while on the other the DDA under him conducts such demolition drives against them.
Bharadwaj pointed out that the people from Pakistan have been living near the Majnu Ka Tila for 13 years. While the children of some have their board exams, others have issues like their daily struggle for livelihood. Ever since the DDA issued notices to them, they have been living in fear as they have nowhere to go if they lose the roof over their heads.
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