Karat requests Goyal's intervention on SC eviction order of jhuggi clusters

Brinda Karat wrote a letter to Minister of Railways Piyush Goyal requesting his intervention on the Supreme Court judgment of August 31, directing the removal of all jhuggi clusters on railway land

Polit Bureau member of CPI(M) Brinda Karat on Friday wrote a letter to Minister of Railways Piyush Goyal requesting his intervention on the Supreme Court judgment of August 31, directing the removal of all jhuggi clusters on railway land.

"This is with reference to the Supreme Court judgment of August 31 directing removal of all jhuggi clusters on railway land adjacent to railway tracks within three months. You are no doubt aware that the Delhi High Court in its judgment last year had directed that arrangements for rehabilitation must be made in the event of relocation being required," Brinda Karat wrote.

"It appears that since the jhuggi dwellers were not made parties before the Supreme Court, the bench may not have been aware of this Delhi High Court judgment otherwise it is difficult to understand how a three-member bench of the apex court could have given such an inhuman judgment, that too at the time of a pandemic," she added.

She further said that the Minister should intervene in the matter and prevent the eviction of people from the railway land.

"I would request you to intervene to prevent eviction without relocation, rehabilitation and compensation. People, families are not homeless or do not live in jhuggis out of choice but because of policies of successive central Governments that have pushed them to the margins. The right to a home is a basic human right, not charity," she said.