CM Arvind Kejriwal asks Lt Governor to expedite approval of Delhi government's slum policy

Pic Courtesy: PTI

New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday urged Lt Governor Anil Baijal to approve the AAP government's slum policy and said no one should do politics over the issue.

Addressing a gathering after inaugurating toilet complexes in Punjabi Bagh here, the chief minister sought to know why was the Lt Governor sitting on the file for a long time.

The proposed 'Slum and JJ Rehabilitation and Relocation' policy of the city government ensures 'in situ' rehabilitation of slum dwellers. The policy has been cleared by the Delhi cabinet.

"Why is the LG sitting on this file? There should be no politics over the issue...God won't forgive those who do not allow poor people's houses to be built," Kejriwal said.

"I request you (LG) with folded hands to clear the file. Once we get the approval, we will start constructing houses for slum dwellers. If the LG has any objection about the policy, I am ready to meet him," he said.

The AAP supremo inaugurated 1,206 community toilets at 36 locations from JJ Basti near Deen Dayal Camp road in Punjabi Bagh.

"In the last two-and-a-half years, the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) and other agencies had tried to demolish 'jhuggis' (slums), but we did not allow them to do so," he said.

The proposed slum policy of the Delhi government also promises that no jhuggis will be demolished before their occupants are rehabilitated in the city.