The Delhi High Court has issued a directive to the Delhi Development Authority (DDA), ordering it to refrain from carrying out any demolition activities against Pakistani Hindu refugees residing in the Yamuna floodplains since 2011.
The court’s intervention came in response to a petition filed challenging a notice issued by the DDA on March 4, which instructed the residents to vacate the area by March 6. The petition, aimed at safeguarding the rights of approximately 800 individuals, sought a stay on the demolition until suitable alternative shelter arrangements could be made for them.
The plight of these refugees, who have sought refuge in India due to religious persecution in Pakistan, has drawn attention to their precarious living conditions and the urgent need for humanitarian assistance. Concerns over their displacement prompted the legal action, underscoring the humanitarian aspect of the issue.
Meanwhile, the counsel for Pakistani Hindu refugees living in the Yamuna flood area in Delhi’s Majnu ka Tilla asked the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) to build embankments along the Yamuna River.
“I have mentioned in the petition that DDA should build the embankments along the Yamuna wherever they want so that some protection may be given,” Advocate RK Bali said on Wednesday.
The DDA was ordered to remove encroachments by the NGT from the Yamuna flood area. Speaking about the government’s stand on the issue after the notification of Rules on the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), Bali said, “The stand of the government is to give protection, shelter and every type of support to the displaced persons who have come to India from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. The CAA came into being in 2019 and after the notification is issued they will get citizenship.”
Advocate Bali also pointed out that there are other structures on the Yamuna floodplain as well. “Moreover, other facilities are also there in the flood area. There is a gurudwara in the vicinity, Majnu ka Tila. The Akshardham temple, commonwealth village and other flats…are built on the river area,” he said.
He added that these refugees started staying in the area on the directions of the Delhi High Court. “They have been living there since 2011. The Government settled them there on the directions of the Delhi High Court. Authorities provided them with all the facilities,” he said.
