Halt eviction of Delhi slum dwellers: Maken

Maken wrote to Khanna accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party-controlled civic agencies of "blatantly violating" a central law by evicting slum dwellers and vendors without affording them rehabilitation.

The minister asked the lieutenant governor to "ensure that as per the specific provisions of the National Capital Territory of Delhi Laws (Special Provisions), Second Act 2011, no jhuggi/slum cluster/hawker or vendor is removed without providing in-situ rehabilitation", said an official statement.

Maken's letter to Khanna comes "in the wake of several representations and complaints made by jhuggi dwellers of harassment by municipal authorities".

He said "the BJP-controlled (corporations) were blatantly violating the above-mentioned overriding central law, which provided complete protection from ad-hoc and unplanned removal".

He sought direction to "local authorities/officers not to take any arbitrary action against slum dwellers and street vendors without prior approval of the lieutenant governor".