Prominent rights group People’s Union For Civil Liberties (PUCL) on Wednesday condemned the “unlawful” and “unconstitutional” demolition drive launched by Delhi’s Municipal Corporation in the Jahangirpuri area of the national capital.
In a letter addressed to Assistant Commissioner, North Delhi Municipal Corporation warning him that the in the garb of encroachment removal programmed in the violence-hit Jahangirpuri area of the National Capital Delhi, the PUCL said that the drive was “unlawful and unconstitutional”.
The letter further stated that the clear message of our Constitution enjoins upon the governments and municipal administrations to provide homes to the homeless and jobs to the jobless, not that these institutions should embark upon a policy that renders hundreds and thousands of poor people homeless and jobless.
The rights group also reminded the authorities that the encroachment drive is against the motto of Prime Minister Modi’s slogan of “SABKA SAATH SABKA VIKAS”.
The letter also highlighted higher courts’ rulings over the issue of removal of encroachments which clearly mentioned that the alleged encroachers cannot be removed without giving the poor persons individual notices and without providing them alternative accommodation.
The full text of the letter is as follows:
To
The Assistant Commissioner,
Civil Lines Zone,
North Delhi Municipal Corporation, Delhi.
A letter dt. 19th April 2022 written by you to The DCP North West has been brought to our notice in which you have talked about Special Joint Encroachment Removal programme to be initiated in Jahangirpuri and have sought police help. In this connection we bring to your notice that the programme envisaged by you is totally unlawful and unconstitutional. The clear message of our Constitution enjoins upon the governments and municipal administrations to provide homes to the homeless and jobs to the jobless, not that these institutions should embark upon a policy which render hundreds and thousands of poor people homeless and jobless. The issues of removal of encroachments have been debated number of times in our courts, where Supreme Court and High courts have issued number of guidelines in this connection. The central point of these guidelines is that the alleged encroachers cannot be removed without giving the poor persons individual notices and without providing them alternative accommodation.
Please refer to the case of ‘Sudama Singh & others Versus Govt. of NCT & others, Writ Petition No. WP(C) 8904/2009 which sums up the legal position in this connection. Moreover your encroachment drive is also against the motto of our esteemed Prime Minister “SABKA SAATH SABKA VIKAS”.
Your proposed drive is certainly a clear anti-thesis of ’SABKA VIKAS”.
We therefore request you to think again and stop your drive which is totally unlawful and against the norms enshrined in the chapters of fundamental rights and Directive Principles of our State policy in our Constitution as well a number of pronouncements of our courts.
N.D.Pancholi, President
Sheoraj Singh, General Secretary
Amit Srivastav, Secretary
CC: DCP (North West) Delhi Police.