More than 6,000 residents of Indira Colony in North-West Delhi have been relieved at present. The Delhi High Court has stayed the proposed encroachment removal campaign on Saturday and has given clear instructions that no forced action will be taken till 31 July.

This order came on a petition of Indira Colony Resident Welfare Association, in which the eviction notice issued by Northern Railway was challenged on 4 July. The Railways had issued a decree to withdraw this colony as an ‘illegal possession’. The High Court admitted that the case is serious and more intensive investigation.

This is BJP’s anti -poor policy

This issue has also taken political color. Aam Aadmi Party leader and opposition leader in the Delhi Assembly, Atishi, said in a press conference, before the election, the Prime Minister had promised ‘where slums, houses there’. Now bulldozers are being run on the same slums. He called it the “anti -poor” policy of the BJP.

Former Shalimar Bagh MLA Bandana Kumari alleged that there is an atmosphere of fear and panic among the local people. He said, this area belongs to BJP’s Chief Minister candidate Rekha Gupta. Despite their trust, a slum has already been dropped.

The petitioners told the court that this eviction is a violation of Article 21 of the Constitution, which guarantees the right to live with life and respect, including housing. He also alleged that the procedures prescribed under the draft protocols of Delhi slum rehabilitation policy, 2015 and 2016 were not followed.

It was said in the petition that it is against the rules and laws to take such steps without giving information, survey or rehabilitation plan. The name of the colony is in the list of 675 eligible settlements of the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB) and is at number 74. According to Dusib rules, the owner of the land is necessary to confirm the eligibility from the first board.

Railways said, ‘This land is ours’

The central government counsel, appearing on behalf of the government side, said that it is the railway land and the existing residents are illegally settled there. According to him, the notice of eviction has been duly issued under the Railway Act and the legal provisions related to the Railway Act. ‘

Suspense continues before next hearing

After hearing the arguments of both the parties, the Delhi High Court said that no forced action will be appropriate until the matter is thoroughly investigated. The court has fixed the next hearing on 31 July. For the moment, the residents of Indira Colony have been relieved, but their future now rests on the judicial decision.