The Communist Party of India (Marxist) on Saturday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the General Manager of Northern Railway not to demolish a slum colony in west Delhi’s Punjabi Bagh and withdraw the eviction notices served on the dwellers.

In a letter, CPI(M) Delhi State secretary Anurag Saxena said the slum, located in Punjabi Bagh’s Indira Colony, is notified and listed by the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB). He claimed that the attempt to demolish the colony is not only “unconstitutional” but also contrary to Delhi’s rehabilitation policy.

The party stated that no eviction action should be taken against the slum dwellers without ensuring their prior rehabilitation. It also demanded that an in situ rehabilitation policy be implemented for all slum clusters in Delhi. “If the demands are not met, then a struggle will be waged against this injustice,” read the letter.

The CPI(M) also demanded for the immediate restoration of electricity and water facilities and in-situ rehabilitation for dwellers of the Jai Hind Camp in Masoodpur, and submitted a letter to Chief Minister Rekha Gupta regarding it.