Slum colonies proliferate around stations, in many cases the hutments are literally touching the wall of the railway tracks. We have seen in earlier cases, like in Bandra (E), that after a fire breaks out and hutments are burnt out, they are then rebuilt as two and three-storey cement structures, like pucca homes. Illegal hutment dwellers take advantage of the blaze and then, houses are built on the same site using cement. These are more difficult to dislodge than shanties and it is evident that the illegal dwellers have used the fire to their advantage.

One has to ensure that a similar thing does not happen in case of this fire. First of all, illegal hutments should not be allowed to come up. But in this way, the illegal slum dwellers capitalize on a dire situation and go on to build ‘pucca’ structures.

Poll

Who will win the Punjab Elections?

BJP 32.79%

AAP 42.62%

INC 24.59%

Submit

View All In Poll

The authorities need to be extra vigilant now and see that any such moves are nipped in the bud. Once entrenched, there is little one can do to get rid of illegal dwellers.