Centre, Railways responsible for Demolition Drive: Delhi Minister

Kejriwal rebutted Rahul saying the latter was “still a kid” and that probably the Congress had not apprised him of the fact that the Railways, which carried out the razing, fell under the central government.

Meanwhile, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi visited the demolition site today and held the Delhi Government and the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Centre responsible for razing of the slum, while assuring the homeless slum dwellers that they would be provided aid at the earliest.

Rahul Gandhi criticized AAP’s protest, tweeting: “Why is AAP doing dharna?”

The bench also asked the Delhi government to “coordinate with the authorities and provide every possible support they can to people who have been put to risk of life in this winter”.

Giving details of the drive, Prabhu said, “The soft encroachments adjoining the cement siding Shakur Basti Railway station area were removed on December 2015 in presence of Delhi Police personnel by Delhi divison of Northern Railway”.

“In principle, it was decided that there will be no demolition anywhere without rehabilitation in the coming days”, Kejriwal said after the meeting.

An anti-encroachment demolition drive by the Railways on December 12 at Shakur Basti left a six-month-old child dead and thousands of people homeless on the coldest night of the season. The demolition was carried out to teach a lesson to these people who had voted for Arvind Kejriwal.

Acting with the ease and felicity of a consummate politician, Kejriwal has quickly turned the demolition drive in Shakur Basti into a national event, into yet another televised, twittered battle in the ongoing war between his government and the Centre. The deceased’s parents said they didn’t receive consequential help from anyone. We will try to help you.

While Delhi government alleged that the child died during the drive, Railways maintained that the toddler died much before the removal of encroachment.

“It has been decided that from now on, no slum would be demolished anywhere in Delhi”, Mr Kejriwal told the media.

Railways had undertaken a demolition drive at Shakurbasti on Satuday removing about 1,200 slums and shops in the area. We came to know about it after it began.

On Sunday, Kejriwal met Railway officials at his residence over the issue, but was unhappy with their response.

It asked the railways to give a survey report of the people living at Shakur Basti along with the number of people affected and who all can be rehabilitated.