NEW DELHI: Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta on Sunday clarified that the demolition drive at Madrasi Camp in Jangpura was carried out strictly in accordance with court orders, which had directed the slum’s removal four times to facilitate cleaning of the Barapulla drain and prevent future flooding.While talking to the reporters, CM Rekha said, “I have clearly said, that if the court has ordered something, neither the government, nor the administration can do anything about it.”“The truth about the demolition of Madrasi Camp is that it was set up on the banks of the Barapullah drain. The court had ordered the removal of this slum four times so that machines could be deployed to clean the drain. Otherwise, 2023-like floods would be seen again in Delhi. No one can defy court orders. Residents of that camp have been allotted houses and shifted there,” CM Rekha Gupta further added. The chief minister also mentioned similar anti-encroachment actions had been carried out elsewhere, including Railway Colony. She criticised Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders for politicising the matter and questioned who would be held accountable in case of any fatalities due to flooding. “Action was taken in three places in Delhi, including Railway Colony, a slum set up near the railway tracks. The railways took action. Who would be held accountable if there is a loss of life? Should Saurabh Bharadwaj, Atishi, or Arvind Kejriwal be held accountable? The court knows what it is doing and hence has given orders,” she said. Gupta further added that the BJP-led Delhi government was focused on development and claimed that Rs 700 crore worth of work was being undertaken across the capital something that, she said, was never done by the previous Kejriwal or Congress governments. The remarks came after AAP leader and Delhi Assembly Leader of Opposition Atishi launched a sharp criticism of the BJP following the demolition drive on 1 June. In a social media post on 4 June, Atishi accused the BJP of betraying slum dwellers. “BJP had promised ‘jahan jhuggi, wahan makaan’ (where there is a slum, there will be a house), but as soon as it won the election, it bulldozed the Madrasi camp,” she posted on X. “Today, when I went there, women, elderly, youth – everyone cried bitterly. They were saying that they made a mistake by voting for the BJP. If Kejriwal were here, he would not have let our slums be demolished,” she added. The demolition was part of a court-ordered operation to widen the Barapullah drain, which gets clogged during heavy rains, leading to severe waterlogging. Officials said 370 encroachments were removed during the drive. Of those affected, 189 people were found eligible and given flats in Narela, while 181 were deemed ineligible for resettlement.
