Kathputli Colony development to begin by March-end: DDA

Development work at the country's largest artists' ghetto, the Kathputli Colony, will begin from March-end, if the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) officials are to be believed.

Almost a month after the development agency was accused of carrying out forceful demolition at the puppet colony, for the first time, the DDA claimed that no force was used to vacate the slums and the protests at the location were politically motivated.

DDA's assurance comes after being constantly accused by political leaders, including Delhi Public Works Department (PWD) Minister Satyendar Jain, of forcefully vacating the government land. Jain had extended his support to the Kathputli Colony residents, and even written a letter to Union Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu, stating that residents were being "forced" to leave the area.

"The protests are a result of certain groups' political agenda. We have been continuously carrying out a campaign and creating awareness about the relocation policy," said Jai Prakash Agrawal, (Principal) Commissioner, DDA.

The colony was the first slum taken up for in-situ redevelopment by DDA in 2009, in collaboration with the private firm Raheja Developers. As per the plan, families will have to move to single-room temporary houses in a resettlement area in Anand Parbat, till the construction of their permanent houses in the Kathputli Colony is completed.

Agrawal said the DDA hopes to complete the work of vacating the land by March-end, and the construction will begin by May this year. "Currently, approximately 1,100 people have moved to the temporary transit camp and hopefully others will also vacate voluntarily. As soon as the families move out, builders will begin the construction and the houses will be ready within two years," he said.

The residents of the colony include puppeteers, magicians, acrobats, storytellers, folk singers, dancers, and painters, among others.

Nearly 500 families had moved to make-shift homes in 2013, while rest of them refused to do so, saying the DDA should give them written assurances that every family would get a house, and also sought to know the time it would take to build their permanent houses.