Shakur Basti dwellers freeze in open after slum demolitions

A day after the Railways demolished more than 500 slums in the Shakur Basti area in the national capital, the dwellers are now being forced to live in freezing conditions and are battling the extreme cold.

The dwellers are just provided with blankets and food, but still it is not sufficient, especially for the children and the elderly as they are most vulnerable to the chilly weather conditions.

"They have given us blankets. But it is very cold and especially the kids are suffering in the open. People are coming and just having a glimpse but no one is doing anything," Mohd. Kuddu, one of the dwellers told ANI.

Another resident of the Shakur Basti, Mohd. Nizam, said that there were not adequate facilities and demanded that the government should provide them with shelters so that they can survive in this cold weather.

Meanwhile, the Delhi Government had yesterday ordered magisterial enquiries into the Shakur Basti demolition and the death of the six month-old child.

Separate probes will be conducted into demolition drive and the child's death.

More than 500 slums were demolished in an anti-encroachment drive conducted by the Indian Railways in Shakur Basti on Saturday.

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

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.