Slapped with eviction notices, slum residents at R K Puram fear bulldozer action: ‘We have all IDs, still asked to vacate homes'

Indian Express

5 days ago

For the last seven days, women living in unauthorised slums located around the Type 1 quarters in R K Puram's Sector 7 have not gone to work, fearing bulldozers would raze their houses while they are out earning a livelihood.
The reason: The deadline, set by the Central Public Works Department (CPWD), to vacate their homes ended on Friday.
On July 11, the CPWD had pasted notices on their doors stating that they should vacate the houses within seven days, else they would be forcibly evicted. The same notice was sent to the 'unauthorised' residents of the Type 1 quarters, too
'It is to be informed that the Type 1 quarters of Sector 7, R K Puram, which fall under the category of 'damaged quarters', are being unauthorisedly occupied by some persons, and illegal construction has been carried out. Information has been given verbally and in writing several times in the past, but to date, no action has been taken by the parties concerned. It is, therefore, a final warning given to all unauthorised occupants to vacate the respective quarters,' it stated.
According to the CPWD, the quarters are dilapidated and can collapse anytime, harming the jhuggi jhopdis that have mushroomed around them.
'Even after multiple warnings, people continue to live in the quarters,' an official said.
The official, however, denied that they planned to demolish the jhuggis and the quarters. 'We have just asked them to vacate the place… But nobody has left,' he added.
Many slum dwellers, however, have started looking for accommodation elsewhere.
'We left the jhuggi and shifted to the quarters after the notice was issued. Since then, we have been looking for houses… If we don't find any, we will return to Bihar,' said a woman who did not wish to be named.
'They should have issued the notice during the school's summer break. If we change houses now, my daughter will lose out on her academic year,' she added.
Mostly located at the centre of the quarters, the jhuggis are home to eight families, said residents. While some of these brick houses have only one room and a kitchen, some also have a hall. The others are double-storey houses with washrooms.
All the slum dwellers, as well as those who live in the quarters, mostly hail from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan. While they primarily work as construction labourers, some also work as domestic help in nearby homes.
'We were sleeping when the officers pasted the notices… We have all identity proofs — Aadhaar and ration cards, voter ID — still, we were made to leave our jhuggis. I was born here,' said a woman who lives in the slum.
'How can we afford Rs 12,000 as rent when we only earn Rs 15,000 per month? The prices have gone up since the landlords heard that we are looking for rented accommodations.'
At the Type 1 quarters, an elderly woman said the contractor she works for had let her stay in one of the quarters. 'I've been staying here since I started working for him. This is a godown where he keeps cement bags,' she added.
A few houses ahead, Ganesh (65), who has been staying in the slums with his family of six since 1982, has no idea what to do next. 'Where will I go in this monsoon? They say 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikaas' but it is 'sabka saath, sabka vinaash'… What happened to the promise of 'Jahan Jhuggi, Wahan Makan'?'
In the run-up to the Delhi polls, 'Jahan Jhuggi, Wahan Makan' — building houses for slum dwellers at the original location — was a key poll promise of both the BJP and AAP.