Petition against govt over EWS flats’ inclusion

The JJ Cluster Dwellers Welfare Association with the help of the Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee has approached the Delhi high court against the Delhi government and others to restrain the administration from including the EWS DDA flats, meant for slum- dwellers, in the regular DDA housing scheme that was launched on Monday.

The petitioners are residents of Shankar Garden and Indira Camps No. 2, 4 and 5 at Vikaspuri. The PIL was filed last week and the matter will be heard in the high court on Tuesday.

Congress leader and former West Delhi MP Mahabal Mishra alleged that the decision undertaken on the behest of UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi to allocate 2,400 flats to EWS category slum- dwellers was dropped by the BJP government.

He has also claimed that those flats are now being offered in the DDA’s 2014 housing scheme under general category.

“It is illegal to offer already allocated flats for EWS category earmarked for slum- dwellers in the current housing scheme that too in general category by the DDA. This is an example that the BJP is adapting anti- common man and anti- poor policies,” said DPCC president Arvinder Singh Lovely.

The Congress is now planning to protest against the inclusion of EWS flats in the general category. “A Congress delegation will be meeting lieu tenant-governor Najeeb Jung to immediately revert the decision and these 2,400 flats must be allotted to the EWS category slum- dwellers of Vikaspuri, who were assured of it,” said Mr Mishra. The Congress has also dug out an advertisement published by the DDA in newspapers two years ago. “A function was held on 23 January 2012 wherein the DDA had announced construction of 2,400 houses, for the EWS, the advertisement specified & clearly stated features, including date of commencement up to date of completion. This programme was held at Sector 23 Pkt. 8 Dwarka Delhi- 110075,” claimed Mr Mishra.

“Over 2,000 families living in slums, particularly at Vikaspuri, were assured that they would be given allotment in these flats and the cluster shall be relocated / removed after each one gets flat under the EWS category,” added Mr Lovely. During a survey held in February 2014, of the slum clusters in Vikaspuri, a public information letter was circulated by DDA officials among slum- dwellers, calling for documents to be submitted to the DDA for establishment of claim for the EWS houses, said CLP leader and MLA Haroon Yusuf. The party is now planning to organise a mass protest.