Over 200 inhabitants of Madrasi Camp slum resettled: Delhi minister Ashish Sood

New Delhi, June 4 (PTI) Delhi Urban Development Minister Ashish Sood on Wednesday said that 215 eligible inhabitants of the Madrasi Camp have been resettled by the government.

The slum settlement was removed on Sunday in an anti-encroachment drive by the authorities on a Delhi High Court order.

The slum encroached on the Barapullah drain, leading to flooding in south Delhi areas during the Monsoon, the minister said.

Sood, citing a high court order in a press conference, said that the area where the Madrasi Camp slum was located had to be cleared to prevent urban flooding.

The crisis escalated due to "mismanagement" of the previous AAP government, which could have ensured dignified relocation of slum residents but failed, the minister charged in a statement.

"In contrast, the current government relocated eligible residents respectfully under the urban flooding project. Of the 370 families in Madarasi Camp, 215 were found eligible and were duly resettled," he stated.

Sood reiterated Chief Minister Rekha Gupta's claim that no slum would be demolished in Delhi before ensuring permanent houses for the inhabitants.

He said one of the first actions taken by the BJP government after assuming power in Delhi was to revive 2,500 houses built under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana.

These housing units were not allocated for the resettlement of slum dwellers, as the AAP government wanted to rename the scheme after its chief minister, Sood said.

"These houses remained unoccupied for years, depriving the poor of shelter. Now, with an investment of Rs 43 crore, these houses are being made livable again. Under the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB), this initiative will bring significant relief to the urban poor," he said.

The minister said the Delhi government has for the first time allocated Rs 700 crore to the DUSIB, especially for uplifting slum settlements.

The fund will be used to build civic infrastructure like roads, water, electricity, toilets, and women's bathing spaces in every slum, he said. PTI VIT VIT VN VN