Delhi: CM said no slum would be razed, then why bulldozer action in Bhoomiheen camp, asks Atishi
New Delhi (PTI): Senior AAP leader Atishi on Wednesday asked Chief Minister Rekha Gupta why slums were being demolished in Delhi's Bhoomiheen camp despite her saying days ago that none would be razed.
Authorities launched a demolition drive in the Bhoomiheen camp in southeast Delhi's Govindpuri on Wednesday morning, amid heavy police deployment.
Over 300 jhuggis built on government land in Govindpuri will be demolished, an official said.
In a post on X, Atishi, also the leader of opposition in the Delhi Assembly, said, "BJP's bulldozer started running in the Bhoomiheen camp from 5 am in the morning. (Delhi Chief Minister) Rekha Gupta -- you said three days ago that not even a single slum would be demolished, then why are bulldozers running on the Bhoomiheen camp?"
Wednesday's action comes days after the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) pasted eviction notices on houses in the jhuggi-jhopri camp, warning "encroachers" to leave the spot within three days, or face action.
The camp, where most residents are migrant workers, has seen demolition drives thrice in the past year -- in May and June this year and July 2023.
Atishi on Tuesday visited the Bhoomiheen camp. While the AAP claimed she was detained during her visit to meet the residents of the area, police denied it.
Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said on Sunday that the authorities cannot go against demolition orders issued by the courts and stressed that the displaced residents have been provided accommodation.
Her remarks came amid criticism from the AAP over the razing of the Madrasi Camp slum cluster near Barapullah in south Delhi and similar demolition drives in other parts of the city.
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Bridge portion collapses on Jammu outskirts; 3-4 labourers feared trapped, 1 rescued
Jammu (PTI): A portion of a small bridge collapsed in the Bantalab area on the outskirts of Jammu city on Friday, trapping at least three to four labourers under the debris, while one injured worker was rescued, official sources said.
Authorities have closed the road link following the collapse of the portion of the bridge.
The incident occurred when labourers were carrying out repair work on a retaining wall near the bridge that was damaged in last year's flash floods, the sources said.
According to the sources, a section of the bridge suddenly gave way, burying workers engaged at the site under the rubble.
Police, Army and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) teams launched rescue operations to extricate those buried under the debris. They pulled out one injured labourer and shifted him to a hospital, the sources said.
Family members of the labourers present at the site said around six workers engaged at the site at the time of the incident came under the debris when the structure collapsed. The family members said while two of the labourers managed to escape, four got trapped.
The sources said those trapped included the husband of a woman labourer, a mason, an unmarried labourer and a relative of the contractor.
There was no official confirmation on the exact number of persons trapped under the debris till the filing of this report.
The rescue operations are ongoing.
