After demolitions in Delhi's Madrasi Camp, Tamil Nadu offers support to families
The decades-old camp, built overlooking the Barapullah drain near Nizamuddin Railway Station, housed 370 tenements and was predominantly inhabited by families originally from Tamil Nadu.
On Sunday, the Delhi Development Authority demolished the homes in the camp on the directions of the Delhi High Court, The Indian Express reported. The Delhi government was directed to relocate the families as the camp was allegedly blocking the Barapullah drain, which was leading to waterlogging.
Hours after the demolition, the Tamil Nadu government stated that it was in 'active coordination' with the residents of the Madrasi Camp to ensure every possible support was extended to them without delay.
It added that Chief Minister MK Stalin had directed the Tamil Nadu House in New Delhi, the guest house of the state government, to facilitate and oversee the coordination efforts.
'Comprehensive support, including assistance for livelihood and other essential needs, will be extended to them,' said the state government. 'This assistance will be facilitated through the offices of the concerned District Collectors to ensure timely and effective implementation.'
Describing the Madrasi Camp as an 'unauthorised encroachment', the High Court on May 9 directed authorities to clear the area along the Barapullah drain. It said the camp was obstructing drainage and causing severe waterlogging in the surrounding areas during the monsoons.
The court had also directed that eligible residents be rehabilitated and relocated under provisions of the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board Act and the Delhi Slum and Jhuggi Jhopri Rehabilitation and Relocation Policy, The New Indian Express reported.
Subsequently, the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board determined that only 215 out of the 370 residents in the camp were eligible for housing. These families were allotted residential units in Narela, a northern suburb over 35 kms from the camp, The Indian Express reported.
The remaining 155 families had reportedly failed to meet documentation or eligibility criteria.
The settlement, which is more than six decades old, housed Tamil-speaking migrants who had arrived in the national capital seeking employment as domestic workers, cooks and daily-wage labourers.
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