Shakur Basti Slum Demolition: NGT Fine Forced Railway’s Hand?

In a December 7 order, NGT imposed a fine on the Railway’s for failing to keep the tracks in Delhi free of garbage.

A woman holding her kid stands amid household items at Shakur Basti, where a demolition drive was carried out. (Photo: PTI)

In a December 7 order, the National Green Tribunal had imposed a fine on the Railway’s for failing to keep the tracks in Delhi clean and free of garbage. The order also noted “negligence” and an “intentional lack of will”, according to The Times of India. The order said that “more coercive measures” would be undertaken if the Railway’s didn’t clean up its act. This could have been one of the factors behind the urgency to demolish the Shakur Basti slum in Delhi.

However, the order did not mention slums as a factor in the lack of cleanliness in and around the tracks.

The encroachments are safety hazards for train operation as well as for those living in slums around tracks. It is also roadblock in development of new infrastructure.

A source quoted in <i><a href="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/Slum-demolition-NGT-fine-forced-rly-hand/articleshow/50193992.cms">The Times of India</a></i>