Jaipur: For residents of two slums, getting land deeds, regularisation of colonies a mirage
File PhotoJAIPUR: In the slums of Jawahar Nagar and Aamagarh, both known as kachchi basti, benefits of the government’s welfare schemes keep flowing uninterrupted as the residents have voter identity cards and other cards needed for the purpose.
But they are unhappy because they believe political parties keep treating them as vote banks and do nothing to fulfill their two long-held dreams: getting land deeds and seeing the colonies regularised.
Mohan Lal Prajapat, who lives at teela no. 2 of Jahawar Nagar, said the residents have long been given only promises. “When Ashok Parnami came for the first time to ask for votes in 2008, he had promised us land deeds. He again came in 2013 and promised the same. Rafeek Khan has, of course, got us water connections. But when will we get land pattas? We can only expect from the leaders, be they of Congress or BJP,” he said.
As both main candidates of Adarsh Nagar constituency – BJP’s Ravi Nayyar and Congress’s Rafeek Khan – visiting these slums to seek votes over the past few days, the residents are reminding them of their request for regularisation of the colonies. “They keep coming to seek our votes. We are the residents of this place, and we want our demands fulfilled,” said Aabid Ali, a resident of Aamagarh kachchi basti.
In fact, many residents in these localities have a fear that the administration may one day demolish their houses because the colonies are yet to be regularised.
“These colonies come under eco-sensitive zone and are on forest land. I got the residents water connection by convincing the authorities that since the people are living here for more than 20 years, they have the right to get drinking water. Now, to move further, we will write to NGT (National Green Tribunal) to release the land from the forest department and denotify it. We will then pursue it at JDA (Jaipur Development Authority),” said Rafeek Khan, the siting MLA and Congress candidate.
Tariq Hussian, an Aamagarh resident, said, “This time, after formation of the government, we will pursue these issues more seriously.”
