Look into plight of Hindu migrants from Pakistan living without power supply in slum: HC to Centre

The court, in its order, noted that the migrants, who arrived in the country on a long-term visa, were poor people without a permanent place of shelter and possessed Aadhaar cards

The Delhi High Court has expressed hope that the Central government would sympathetically look into the plight of poor Hindu migrants from Pakistan living without electricity supply in a slum in the city.

A bench headed by Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma asked the Centre to file its response within two weeks to a petition which concerns supply of electricity to nearly 800 such migrants while asking it to state why no NOC was issued to them for the last five to six years to facilitate electricity distribution.

“The land in question over which the jhuggis (slum) have been established belongs to Government of India/Defence Department/ DMRC, and in absence of a NOC from the land owning agency, the distribution company is not in a position to provide electricity connection,” said the bench also comprising Justice Subramonium Prasad in an order passed earlier this month.

“This court hopes and trusts that the Government of India will look into the plight of the migrants sympathetically, and shall file a proper affidavit positively within two weeks,” the court stated.

Tata Power Delhi Distribution Limited, the electricity distributor, told the court that NOC was required as certain poles would have to be erected for providing proper electricity on the land.

Petitioner Hariom, who claims to be a social worker working for the welfare of minority migrants who have come from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan in India, had moved the court last year highlighting that over 200 families of minority migrants from Pakistan, mostly from Sindh, were living in North Delhi's Adarsh Nagar area without electricity for the past few years.