DDA's Illegal Bulldozers Continue to Rampage Slums in Delhi
Hundreds of Residents/Daily Wage Labourers Including Elders, Children Are Left Without Any Roof Over Head in the Scorching Summer of Delhi betraying the electoral promise to Delhi residents of ‘Jaha Jhuggi Wahan Makan’.
On 7th of July, a CPIML team visited Gyaspur area near Sarai Kale Khan in the national capital where the DDA has been illegally demolishing slums leaving hundreds of slum dwellers without any roof over their head in the scorching heat of Delhi summer.
Gyaspur is a forty year old slum near Sarai Kale Khan. More than 600 people belonging to families of daily wage labourers reside in slum clusters in the area. They have been staying in the area for more than 40 years now. All the families have documents to prove their years of stay in the area.
DUSIB (Delhi Urban Slum Improvement Board) rules categorically state that any resident of a slum who has been staying in the area from before 2015 can not be evicted without proper rehabilitation. The DDA has adopted the policy. Moreover, the Delhi High Court Judgement of Ajay Maken vs Union of India of 2019 states that no one can be evicted without first being provided with rehabilitation.
Despite the law of the land stating otherwise, the DDA has been demolishing slums in Gyaspur, without any notice, without any survey of the area for rehabilitation.
A team consisting of AICCTU-AISA-AILAJ-RYA activists visited the site in Gyaspur where the DDA was running its illegal demolition. The DDA officials present in the area denied to show any order of demolition. When asked by our team about notice of demolition, they shamelessly denied the need for it. Unfortunately, from Jahangirpuri, Zakir Nagar, Madanpur Khader, New Friends Colony, Shaheen Bagh, Dhobighat to Gyaspur- the illegal bulldozers continue to rampage livelihood of the urban poor.
CPIML has demanded an immediate halt in all illegal demolitions and to ensure in situ rehabilitation of displaced slum dwellers.
On the day of demolition the CPIML Team confronted bulldozer in Gyaspur and stopped it for some time. The DDA and the police, however, forcibly continued the demolition subsequently. DDA is flouting all norms and illegally running their bulldozer. The CPIML team asked for notice to slum dwellers before demolition, survey for rehabilitation, also showed them Delhi HC order dated 28 June directing stay on demolition in Gyaspur till next hearing, and reminded them about DUSIB norms, Ajay Maken Judgement. But the DDA-Delhi Police-RAF team acted like hooligans and restored demolition.
The residents are without any roof over their head now.
The team of CPIML constituted of Sucheta, Ajay Pal, Niraj, Shiyas, Neha, Ranvijay.
