Demolition drive: Congress lends support to slum dwellers

Following the anti-encroachment drive by the Indian Railways in Shakur Basti area in the early morning hours, the Congress on Sunday extended its support to the slum dwellers, adding that the grand old party would fight for them.

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"Unfortunately, many people have become homeless today, due to lack of interference by the Chief Minister. The Congress Party is with these people and will fight for them," Congress leader Ajay Maken told media here.

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Maken blamed the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Government for not making any effort to stop the demolition process.

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"It is very unfortunate that demolishing kept on going yesterday and the Chief Minister got time at 1 o' clock at night to come here. Is the Chief Minister helpless that he did not get any information about it, so that he makes an alternate arrangement after consulting the Railway Ministry?" he asked.

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"These kinds of heinous incidents never took place during the Congress rule. One child is dead and many of the families are left homeless here. Unfortunately, this area is the constituency of one of the Delhi government's minister. The government should have taken a way out a week before it," he added.

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The Congress leader today went to the Shakur Basti area and interacted with the slum dwellers there.

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Earlier in the day, more than 500 slums were demolished in an anti-encroachment drive conducted by the Indian Railways in Shakur Basti.

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Slum residents created uproar after a child was found dead. They alleged that then child had died in the anti-encroachment drive.

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Railway sources, however, have denied the allegations, saying that the death of the child occurred in one of the slums around 10 am and had nothing to do with the removal of encroachments.

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The residents also insisted that their homes were demolished without any prior warning or notice.