Concern over slum demolition in Delhi for Commonwealth Games

New Delhi: The issue of displacement of poor and demolition of slums in Delhi to carry out construction relating to the Commonwealth Games was raised in the Lok Sabha by an independent member.

Raising the matter during Zero Hour, Tarun Mandal from West Bengal referred to reports regarding eviction of 358 families after the slums near the Hazrat Nizamuddin railway station were demolished and said there was no plan to rehabilitate or compensate them. Maintaining that human rights of these people were being violated, he said the slums were demolished in the name of construction of buildings for the Games but roads were being elevated and a parking space was being made.Slum-dwellers have been evicted from other parts of Delhi also, he said, adding "they are out in the open in this heat." Though there were several schemes like Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission to provide succour to the urban poor, "no step is being taken to ensure that the benefits of these schemes reach them," Mandal said.CPI (M) member P K Biju raised the issue of slashing the allocation of kerosene distributed through the public distribution system for Kerala and alleged that the Centre was discriminating against the Left-ruled state. Observing that earlier the allocations for rice and wheat were "drastically curtailed" and the prices increased, he said small and marginal farmers would be adversely affected by the curtailment in supply of kerosene. PTI