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The residents of a slum cluster located along the Barapullah drain in South East Delhi’s Jangpura, watched in despair as their settlements were bulldozed Sunday morning following a directive

from the Delhi High Court to clear the area for the restoration and cleaning of the drain. Police stood guard as residents, many of whom have lived here for decades, protested with their

belongings piled along the roadside. Advertisement The cluster, established in the late 1960s, has been home to over 400 working-class families, most of them Tamil-speaking migrants who

settled in the city for better livelihoods. Advertisement “What should I say? They have looted us. We have nothing left now. ‘Jaha Jhuggi Waha Makaan’ is a lie. They lie about allocating

homes. Everything they say is a lie,” said a woman as her house was brought down. “Right now, I don’t even have the courage to speak about it,” she told a reporter, wiping her tears. The

Delhi High Court had, on May 9, directed agencies like the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) and the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB) to ensure proper rehabilitation of eligible

residents before demolitions begin. The court specified that flats in Narela must be equipped with basic amenities, including fixtures and fittings, by May 20. Of the 370 shanties located

at the site, 215 families have been identified as eligible for relocation under the Prime Minister’s ‘Jahan Jhuggi Waha Makaan’ rehabilitation scheme and have been offered flats in Narela.

Initially, only 189 families were included in the relocation plan. However, a revised list added 26 more families. CPI (M)’s Delhi unit released a statement on Saturday alleging that the

relocation process violated the court’s orders. “Residents cannot be expected to move into housing that is still underprepared and unsafe,” the party said. They added that the flats lacked

essential facilities such as water, electricity, doors and windows. The party also raised concerns about school admissions for displaced children, stating that the timeline for

rehabilitation had not taken the upcoming academic session into account. “The infrastructure was unfit for habitation, especially during Delhi’s extreme weather,” it said. The demolition was

initially scheduled for May 10 but was postponed to June 1. Residents had approached the Delhi High Court in a last attempt to stall the drive, citing lack of preparation and unsafe

relocation sites. Advertisement