8. UNAUTHORIZED COLONIES TO BE REGULARISED

8.

 UNAUTHORIZED COLONIES TO BE REGULARISED

There are around 50 lakh people living in unauthorized colonies in Delhi which do not receive basic amenities like water, etc. Most of these colonies have been regularized on paper but there is little change on ground. People living in these colonies are suffering due to lack of basic amenities. Open sewers run all over the place giving out terrible stench. In some places these sewers have no outlet and the dirty water enters the houses of some people. Even the fresh water being supplied to the residents is not fit for consumption. It is so smelly that people feel they are drinking sewage water.

Around 895 unauthorized colonies were regularized in 2012 but the civic amenities did not reach the areas. People living in these areas have been neglected by the Congress government. AAP promised to help them.

AAP promised to regularize unauthorized colonies based on rates decided in March 2008. Mohalla sabhas would oversee the process of authorization, planning and supervision of development works in various areas.

Thousands of people sleep on the foot path of Delhi. It was during the Commonwealth games in 2010 that many settlements in Delhi were demolished to build a parking lot for Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium and roads. Many families were forcefully evicted with promise of rehabilitation. But only the disabled were rehabilitated. The rest are still homeless.

These homeless people sleep where ever they find place. They are regularly harassed by the police. They are put behind bars and then released. The children are often stripped for stolen items. Women are molested and raped. There is no one to listen to their tales of horror.

They are cheap labor to the business class, encroachers to the middle class, criminals to the police and vote bank to the politicians. Most of these people work as gardeners, drivers, cleaners, house maids, waiters, sweepers, rag pickers, etc. 

Some homeless women give birth on pavements and the new born is in constant danger from stray dogs. Many shelters have been constructed to accommodate such people. But these shelters are not in good condition. Basic facilities like toilets, drinking water, etc is not available. There is constant fight between inmates for petty reasons. Some people keep the TV and light on whole night. Some are constantly suffering from cough, vomit and diarrhea. Women do not feel safe in shelters. Because of this some women feel safer outside the shelter. The number of shelters is too less compared to the number of homeless.

Mental illness and homelessness go hand in hand. This is because there is no mental peace and proper healthcare. Many die people due to cold, weak immune system, drug addiction and sickness. There more than 1lakh homeless people in Delhi.

WORK DONE IN DELHI REGARDING REGULARISATION OF UNAUTHORISED COLONIES

As soon as becoming the CM, Kejriwal started looking into the matters o unauthorized colonies. He found out that former CM Sheila Dixit was involved in irregularities in regularization of unauthorized colonies in Delhi. He wrote a letter to the President seeking action against her.

After becoming CM, Kejriwal directed the Sub-Divisional Magistrates to identify the number of homeless in Delhi and ensure that they are provided with proper shelter at night. After making a survey it was found out that there were 4,018 homeless sleeping in the open at 121 locations in Delhi.

Regarding homeless people, Kejriwal thought of a novel idea of providing night-shelters in abandoned buses. All abandoned buses in Delhi were converted into night shelters. These buses were provided with blankets and other basic amenities so that the homeless people can at least sleep properly.

AAP succeeded in providing 58 shelters for the homeless.