“When the bulldozer arrived, no one got here to assist… no one stood with us… whom can we vote for?”
With the Lok Sabha election a month away, this sentiment was voiced by a number of residents rendered homeless by three massive demolition drives in Delhi over the previous 12 months — at Tughlaqabad, Mehrauli and Sunder Nagar — that displaced a whole bunch of largely lower-income households.
The three websites now look very completely different from one another: in Mehrauli, gaping holes made by males and equipment in a multi-storey constructing have been patched up with bricks; rubble and belongings from houses that had been damaged down had been nonetheless piled excessive on a plot of land behind Delhi Public College Mathura Street; whereas a big, vacant web site was cleared of particles and fenced by a wall topped with barbed wire in Tughlaqabad.
Those that bore the brunt of the bulldozer, in the meantime, at the moment are dwelling on hire — a household of 4 or 5 in a single room in a colony throughout the street from the demolition web site — or nonetheless staying put on the demolition web site, amid the rubble, for concern of shedding the land.
The Indian Express revisited the three areas and spoke to residents who had a number of issues on their minds — anger on the assist they didn’t obtain regardless of knocking on a number of doorways, considerations over the potential for extra demolitions, and questions on whether or not any occasion in energy may help now — which is able to consider as they step out to vote on Could 25.
Tughlaqabad, South Delhi Lok Sabha constituency
Sitting in a single rented room that’s now her home, Renu, 49, who works as a nurse with a personal company, and whose house was demolished within the space’s Bengali Colony final 12 months, stated, “When the bulldozer arrived, no one got here to assist. No person stood with us… so, who will we vote for? Koi humara saath dene ke liye nahi aaye… log gusse mein hain. We misplaced our belongings within the demolition. I don’t need to vote for any of them… the (Archaeological Survey of India, underneath the BJP-ruled Centre) BJP carried out the demolitions, however the AAP authorities did nothing. Sellers bought the land to us and we took a mortgage to purchase it. We didn’t understand it was authorities land.”
In April 2023, the ASI cleared a settlement within the space after the Delhi Excessive Court docket had directed the company to take away encroachments in and across the Tughlaqabad Fort. An ASI official had stated final 12 months that they served 1,248 notices within the space and cleared round 96 bighas of land. This land is now cleared and empty, save for a temple, and is surrounded by a wall topped with barbed wire.
Renu’s household of 4 now lives within the single room, on an higher ground of a multi-storey constructing, for which they pay hire of Rs 5,000 per thirty days. The room is in a slender lane, throughout the street from the place their house as soon as stood on a 50 gaj plot they purchased eight years in the past.
Her husband is an auto driver, whereas her daughter, a second-year faculty pupil, works a call-centre job at night time, she stated. She has lived in Delhi all her life.
Renu added, “The Delhi authorities additionally seems to be turning a blind eye. Even when we can’t get the land again, a minimum of assist us with what we spent on constructing these homes, or present rehabilitation.”
Priyanka, 40, a home employee and mom of three, lives in an identical single room in a close-by lane. The household of 5 had two rooms and a kitchen of their home that was demolished. “We don’t have any of that now… it’s all squeezed into one small room. That home was constructed seven years in the past. It was taken away. Ab kisko vote de? We now have been pushed again by a number of years… and misplaced what was constructed with problem…,” she stated.
“The Prime Minister appears to have forgotten the poor… no one has stood with us,” she added.
Mehrauli, South Delhi Lok Sabha constituency
It has been greater than a 12 months since homes had been demolished by the Delhi Improvement Authority (DDA) in Mehrauli in February final 12 months.
A 3rd-floor resident of a multi-storey constructing, that when housed 10 households and was razed, stated it was all “politics”. “The buildings on this space, together with this one, got here up 5-7 years in the past. They (BJP) had been within the MCD for 15 years… unke jaate hello ghar toote hain yahaan (as soon as the BJP misplaced the MCD polls, homes had been demolished). Possibly in the event that they win in Delhi, this stuff received’t occur once more. Notices got to a number of buildings right here then. Humein Kejriwal aur Modi se koi matlab nahi hain. It’s about who can do one thing for us, and it seems to be just like the AAP can’t. Their persons are in jail. These demolitions are about politics… these buildings had been allowed to be constructed, registry was finished… if that wasn’t the case, we wouldn’t have been in such shock,” stated the resident, whose household is from Katihar in Bihar.
The constructing had not been introduced down fully, however a number of of the partitions had been pulled down, leaving massive holes within the construction. Since then, it has been patched up with brick and cement. “The builder did that, however the constructing remains to be uninhabitable as a result of there isn’t any electrical energy meter or water connection,” stated Hori Lal, 54, a halwai from Agra who moved to Delhi in 1984. His household owned a ground-floor house within the constructing.
“We now have rented a two-room home in Islam Colony close by. However a few of our issues are nonetheless right here. Just like the emperors of earlier centuries, they (the BJP) need management over Delhi… after which they may solely go on to interrupt issues down like this,” claimed Lal, who has three sons.
Demolitions within the space had been carried out close to Jahaz Mahal, a Lodi-era monument, and close to the Mehrauli bus terminal. The DDA had stated the train was meant to reclaim authorities or DDA land that’s a part of the Mehrauli Archaeological Park for its use as a park.
Two months earlier than the buildings had been razed, in December 2022, the DDA had pasted demolition notices on a number of properties in Mehrauli for alleged encroachment within the neighborhood of the Mehrauli Archaeological Park. In November final 12 months, nonetheless, the Delhi Excessive Court docket quashed the notices after residents challenged the demarcation of land primarily based on which the DDA started clearing encroachments. The court docket famous that no intimation was issued to residents earlier than the demolition discover, and directed the land company to make sure that all petitioners are accorded a “honest and cheap alternative to be heard” earlier than any additional demolition.
Close to the Mehrauli bus terminal and throughout the street from the Tomb of Adham Khan, a common of Mughal Emperor Akbar, some buildings that had been partially demolished had sheets masking them. S Rathore, 47, runs a car tyre retailer on the bottom ground of one of many buildings. He lives on the highest ground, the place a metallic sheet covers the half that was damaged within the demolition train. “It was inbuilt 1979. The constructing appears to be a bit of shaky now,” he stated.
Close to his retailer, the rubble of two buildings that had been demolished fully nonetheless lies strewn round. One other three-storey construction close to the Mehrauli put up workplace the place some partitions and huge elements of the bottom ground had been introduced down, nonetheless stands, with belongings of residents scattered throughout.
Each the Mehrauli and Tughlaqabad demolitions, close to monuments, had been carried out a number of months forward of the G20 Summit in September final 12 months.
Sunder Nagar, close to Mathura Street, East Delhi Lok Sabha constituency
Somewhat over 13 km away in Sunder Nagar space, behind DPS Mathura Street, three-four households nonetheless stay amid the rubble of a whole bunch of houses that had been demolished final November by the Land and Improvement Workplace of the Ministry of Housing and City Affairs.
Different residents who moved out return to the realm within the night typically, discussing the demolition; hire that goes as much as Rs 16,000 in close by areas; belongings that stay caught underneath piles of particles; and whether or not they’re more likely to get any aid from the Supreme Court docket.
Final 12 months, the Delhi HC dismissed a plea by residents in search of assessment and recall of its 2019 order which stated that no JJ clusters had been in existence on the land earlier than January 1, 2006. JJ clusters which have come up after this date usually are not eligible for rehabilitation, as per Delhi City Shelter Enchancment Board guidelines. The matter is within the apex court docket.
Manohar, 44, who nonetheless lives on the web site along with his household, together with 4 daughters and a son, stated, “We don’t find the money for to maneuver out. I earn solely day by day wages and bills are going up. All of us vote right here. No person got here to assist us, no occasion. However AAP has finished good work… paani free, bijli free,” he stated, referring to the AAP-Delhi authorities’s subsidies.
Mustaqim, 49, whose household additionally continues to stay within the open on the web site, stated, “(PM Narendra) Modi ji stated ‘jahan jhuggi wahan makaan’. Right here there’s no jhuggi, no home. The councillor and MLA (AAP Jangpura MLA Praveen Kumar) helped us with the court docket case. Now we are able to solely hope…”
A number of years in the past, earlier than sickness compelled him to cease, he labored on the Nizamuddin railway station, clearing our bodies of those that could have fallen, from the tracks, stated Mustaqim, who added that he has lived in the identical space all his life.
Shabeena, 52, his sister, who additionally continues to stay on the web site together with her husband, son, daughter-in-law, and two grandchildren, stated, “They’ve stolen the roof over our head. We had a life earlier than this and have now returned to zero. So many issues are nonetheless caught underneath the demolished materials. We cook dinner right here on a chulha now.”
Get together communicate
For the Lok Sabha polls, the AAP has fielded Sahi Ram Pehalwan from South Delhi, whereas the BJP’s candidate is Ramvir Singh Bidhuri. In East Delhi, AAP’s choose Kuldeep Kumar is up in opposition to BJP’s Harsh Malhotra.
Earlier this 12 months, AAP leaders claimed the BJP desires to demolish slums in Delhi. AAP Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj had stated the BJP is “destroying houses.” The BJP has, on its half, stated the AAP authorities has not allowed advantages of the Centre’s housing schemes to succeed in the poor.
A senior AAP chief stated since land doesn’t come underneath the Delhi authorities however companies underneath the Centre’s management, BJP was instantly chargeable for the demolition drives. “BJP has proven in its actions that it’s anti-poor. Many individuals had been left homeless due to them. We now have tried to assist the folks in whichever means attainable however officers haven’t been cooperating with us for the previous 12 months for the reason that Parliament handed the GNCTD (Modification) Act. Because of this you will need to have a pro-people chief within the Parliament,” the chief stated.
Delhi BJP President Virendra Sachdeva stated, “It’s the PM’s dream to make sure that each Indian has a roof over their head and the BJP is dedicated to that imaginative and prescient. The anti-encroachment drives which have taken place have been executed as per court docket orders and directives which got here once in a while. That being stated, they’re additionally a symptom of the multiplicity of authorities in Delhi. The BJP is dedicated, that the day it involves energy in Delhi, its double-engine authorities underneath the steerage of the Centre will, prefer it gives meals to these in want, be sure that everybody in want has their very own roof over their head.”