HC asks govts to reply to plea for electricity connection for Pak migrants

The Delhi High Court Tuesday sought replies from the Centre, Delhi government and Tata Power on a plea seeking electricity connection for nearly 800 Hindu migrants from Pakistan and are living here for the past few years.

A bench of Chief Justice D N Patel and Justice Amit Bansal issued notices to the ministries of home affairs and defence, Delhi government, North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NrDMC), Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission (DERC), Tata Power Delhi Distribution Ltd (TPDDL) and District Magistrate of North Delhi and asked them to file reply to the petition.

The court listed the matter for further hearing on October 22.

The petition sough electricity connection for 200 Hindu minority migrants families, comprising of almost 800 people, who are currently living in Delhi Jal Board Maidan in North Delhi's Adarsh Nagar area.

Petitioner Hariom, who works for the welfare of 'minority migrants' from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan in India, said that in this case, the migrants are from Pakistan, mostly from Sindh, and are living here without electricity for past few years.

Migrants who have come to India from Pakistan on account of their religious persecution believed that coming to India will give their kids a bright and safe future but their present existence without electricity in the slum has shattered all their dreams of meaningful existence.

"During the pandemic when all schools have gone online, there is no electricity in the Jhuggis (slums) and future of their children is in dark, said the plea, filed through advocates Samiksha Mittal, Akash Vajpai and Ayush Saxena.

The petitioner said he has approached various government authorities but could not succeed in getting electricity for migrants and some of them even applied to TPDDL, which refused on the grounds that valid ownership proof of applied address was required.

The plea claimed that most of the migrants are living on long term visa and they have Aadhaar card also with the same address on which they are currently living, which consequently proved their occupancy.

However, as per the discom, Aadhaar can be used as an identity proof but not as a proof of occupancy of the premises, it said.

The plea sought direction for providing electricity connection to the migrants on the basis of their Aadhaar card, long term visa and passport under the DERC (Supply Code and Performance Standards) Regulations, 2017 and to also include these documents as identity proof and Aadhaar card as proof of occupancy.