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NGOs release report on forced eviction in Delhi

By IANS,

New Delhi: A coalition of civil society organisations Tuesday released a report highlighting the “grave violation of human rights” resulting from forced eviction of people in a west Delhi colony in March this year.

“The Cruel Side of Delhi’s Beautification: Illegal Demolition in Baljeet Nagar,” is the outcome of a public hearing which was held on April 18, and discussed critical issues related to the unlawful demolition of around 800 homes in Baljeet Nagar by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) along with police on March 23-24, 2011.

“A petition filed by civil society groups in the Delhi High Court on March 23, 2011, resulted in a stay order on the demolition of the remaining houses in Baljeet Nagar. The honourable court, in subsequent hearings on the case, issued very specific directives to the concerned agencies of the Delhi government to provide emergency relief services to affected residents of Baljeet Nagar,” the statement said.

The jury in the public hearing, which was chaired by the Delhi High Court’s former chief justice A.P. Shah, issued a strong statement condemning the demolition and the human rights violations of the community.

The report also has testimonies of community members while highlighting the violations of rights of residents. The final hearing of the case is scheduled to be held July 8.

Miloon Kothari, former United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur on adequate housing and member of the jury, emphasised the violation by the different agencies of the Delhi government of the right to adequate housing.

This is a human right guaranteed in international law and upheld by the Supreme Court of India and the Delhi High Court, he said.