DDA to shift occupants of hostel to community hall
NEWDELHI: The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) said on Friday said the visually impaired students, whose hostel was demolished by the land owning agency, would be temporarily accommodated in a community hall in Janakpuri on ‘humanitarian’ grounds. The agency said it was in touch with the Delhi government’s social welfare department to shift the affected to a hostel for the blind at a later stage.
“On humanitarian grounds, the occupants are being temporarily accommodated in a nearby community facility behind Tihar Jail, which has adequate number of rooms to accommodate them,” said a DDA official.
As many as 20 occupants of the hostel, Louis Welfare Progressive Association of the Blind, for visually impaired students in Dashera park in Janakpuri’s Virender Nagar have been sleeping in the open since the DDA demolished their hostel on December 15.
“Later they will be shifted from the transit accommodation to a hostel for the blind of the Delhi social welfare department for which we are in touch with the authorities,” he said. The hostel has been operating since 2010.
A joint team of the social welfare department, Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB) and the area SDM on Friday inspected the demolished hostel site. Social welfare minister Rajendra Pal Gautam sought a report from the team and directed the officials to make interim arrangements for them.
The occupants alleged that the action was taken without any prior information but DDA said notices were served many times before the demolition.
HC SEEKS DDA RESPONSE
Meanwhile, the Delhi High Court on Friday sought response from the DDA over its decision to demolish the hostel. The court expressed concern over their rehabilitation and sought to know from the local authorities about their well-being.