Tamil Nadu government offers help to residents of Madrasi Camp in New Delhi to return to the State
The Tamil Nadu government has decided to lend a hand to residents of Madrasi Camp in New Delhi, whose unauthorised houses on the bank of the Barapullah drain are to be demolished by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA).
An official release said the State government, as directed by Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, would help the residents return to their native districts, if they chose to do so. They would be given comprehensive support, including assistance for livelihood, through the Collectors, it said. The Tamil Nadu House in New Delhi was tasked with reaching out to the residents. The government was coordinating with them to ensure that they got help without delay, it said.
Madrasi Camp is an informal habitation along the bank of the Barapullah Jangpura drain, near Nizamuddin Railway Station in South Delhi. It has 370 slum dwelling units. The settlement is predominantly inhabited by persons of Tamil Nadu origin.
The Delhi High Court had noted that Madrasi Camp was an 'unauthorized construction/encroachment' that had led to the obstruction and blockage of the Barapullah drain, 'causing significant waterlogging in the surrounding areas, especially during the monsoon'.
It had directed that eligible residents be rehabilitated and relocated under the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board Act and the Delhi Slum & JJ Rehabilitation and Relocation Policy, 2015. In compliance with this ruling, a comprehensive survey was done by a committee to assess the eligibility of the residents for rehabilitation and relocation. The Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board has determined that 215 out of the 370 residents are eligible for allotment of residential units under the economically weaker section category at Narela.
On May 9 this year, all petitions filed by the residents were disposed of by the Delhi High Court, which ordered the commencement of demolition at Madrasi Camp from June 1.
The Tamil Nadu government said, 'All legal avenues available to the residents of Madrasi Camp for retaining the unauthorised constructions at the site have been duly exhausted.'
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