Thursday, 23 MAY 2024 | PNS | DEHRADUN
Several slum dwellers on Wednesday protested in the Municipal Corporation of Dehradun (MCD) under the leadership of the Congress leader Suryakant Dhasmana on Wednesday. Slum dwellers and Congress leaders gathered at Congress Bhawan and marched to the MCD building. The Congress leaders claimed that the BJP always attempts to demolish the houses of poor slum dwellers under their government. He said that the process to give ownership rights to the slum dwellers in 2012 was started as per the orders of the Congress leader and the then chief minister Harish Rawat. He also formed a committee to execute the plan but the BJP led government halted this work after coming to power in 2017. They started a conspiracy to demolish slums across the State under the guise of the High Court order in 2018. The government had to bring an ordinance to prevent the demolition after the strong opposition of the Congress, Dhasmana claimed. He said that the BJP keeps the slum dwellers scared and intimidated and then promises to give them ownership rights during election time but fails to consider it later. The government is using the order of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) this time to demolish hundreds of houses. If the government will not give ownership rights to the slum dwellers, Congress will call for a state wide protest, he added. Slum dwellers also stated that they will fight for their houses till their last breath and will not let administration demolish it.
