NEW DELHI:  BJP MP Manoj Tiwari has urged Union Minister for Railways Piyush Goyal to call a joint meeting of stakeholders including Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for better planning and coordination for compliance of the Supreme Court order to remove 48,000 slum dwellings along railway tracks in the city.

The former Delhi BJP president also wrote to Kejriwal for rehabilitation and arrangement of transit accommodation for affected residents. In his letter to the Railway Minister, the North East Delhi MP said that in view of the urgency and time-bound action ordered by the Supreme Court, it was expedient that there was better communication and coordination in approach and action by all the stakeholders.

“The Supreme Court in its order on August 31 had ordered the removal of around 48,000 slums along the nearly 140-km railway tracks in Delhi within three months. Since there are various stakeholders involved in this process. It will take more time if all stakeholders are to act independently  which will exhaust time limit of three months which has been specifically ordered by the SC,” Tiwari wrote.

“You are requested to kindly call a joint meeting with the CM and the Member of Parliaments (MPs) for better planning and coordination. It will help the stakeholders in complying with the SC  order.” The former Delhi BJP president in his letter to Kejriwal stated that it is the “responsibility” of the state government to ensure that the slum dwellers are given proper accommodation.

“Under Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission, 31,424 flats were constructed between 2007 and 2019 that are available with the Delhi government. Also, there are around 20,000 flats which are under various stages of construction, and likely to be completed by another 90 days,” Tiwari said. “The rehabilitation of the slum dwellers is to be done by Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB). Therefore, I demand that those available flats which are in ready-to-move condition be immediately handed over to the slum dwellers,” Tiwari said in his letter to Kejriwal.