Yudbir Singh Dadwal, Joint Commissioner of Police New Delhi Range, today told Express Newsline that he too shared a commitment to a clean Delhi and that the slum at Jantar Mantar looks ugly. But, he said, the NDMC should be better organised. ``Alternate land had been provided only for eight families and then for four more later. But we were not told for which 12 families had alternate arrangement been made. How could we differentiate between all the families squatting there,'' Dadwal asked.

Fifty two families who were promised land in lieu of acquisition of their land by the government are squatting at Jantar Mantar to protest against their not being given the land. ``We cannot pick up the wrong families and throw them out. They are anyway moving out,'' Dadwal adds.

But none of the authorities is in a position to answer the crucial question: when will the families move out and when will the unauthorised slum cluster at Jantar Mantar be cleared ?

Khushwant Singh, journalist and one of the oldest residents of Delhi, was the owner of a palatial house on Jantar Mantar Road, not far from the slum. He is appalled by the slum cluster at Jantar Mantar.

Expressing his disgust, he said that ``nobody has the courage to tell these people (the squatters) that they have no right to do this.'' He added that ``if these people do not vacate the land peacefully, the police must use force and evict them. It is really appalling the way they continue to live there,'' he added.

Lieutenant Governor Vijai Kapoor or Chief Minister Sahib Singh should step in and intervene and actually get the place vacated, Singh felt. ``They all keep talking of statehood and all. They should direct the police to take this issue seriously,'' he said.

An NDMC official said that the police raised unnecessary and unimportant queries on where would the squatters be taken and what will be the NDMC plan of relocating them.

At the cluster life seems to go on. ``Some of us have got land and will be moving out soon. In fact two families have already gone. But the files of most others are pending with the government and till they are disposed off the NDMC cannot dislocate us. Even we do not want to be here. Even we realise that foreigners take our photographs and sell them in their country showing poverty in India. But it the the government's fault,'' says Sardar Rupinder Singh.

Rupinder Singh's cousin and his wife joined them today. ``Of course they would not be living here with us for long. Within a day or two they will be moving off to a pucca house,'' he explains. The new entrants kept their meagre belongings into an empty tent where a frayed banner once said that India, Pakistan and Bangladesh should come together. A newly pained board says the dharna for a united India, Pakistan and Bangladesh would continue till the three countries come together.

NDMC chief of enforcement S S Rao told Express Newsline that the last time they planned to evict all the squatters they were let down by the police. ``We had given them notice and had also directed our staff to be present. But at the eleventh hour, the police pulled back saying their men had to be deployed elsewhere. We have now planned it for next weekend. We just hope this time the police do not let us down,'' he said.