Jia Sarai: The Delhi village that still awaits a facelift

Delhi holds a large number of human settlements, both urban and rural. Many of them go through a transitional phase of rapid urbanisation and physical expansion. The villages located in the posh localities of the national Capital, especially, numerous Sarai’s in the South, are neglected by the existing idea of urban development.

People, who have spent their lives in these villages have confined themselves amid the flourishing well-developed institutions like Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), etc.

Jia Sarai is one such village surrounded by IIT from three sides, thus leaving a single entrance and exit gate. The narrow dingy lanes of the village lead students coming from numerous places aspiring to take admission in these institutions to pursue their dreams. The living conditions of people who have been here for years have not only been improper but also ill-maintained.

A 75-year-old local resident talks about the making and breaking of the institutions surrounding the village. He said: “The journey for the Jia Sarai began the day it was notified by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) for acquisition. For most of the residents, the source of income is dependent on the rent we earn. However, to earn more, the residents have erected tall buildings which have resulted in further chaos.”

There has been a stark difference in the distribution of wealth between Delhi’s urban and rural sprawls, which is visible in Jia Sarai. Another local, Kapil Gaur, mentioned about the declining development in the village over years. “There are endless problems we face on a daily basis. Lack of parking space and under-developed roads, encroachment of roads and space crunches are a few out of many.”  He further added that it is difficult to survive in a place with nothing left in hand and renting as the main source of income.

The kind of culture prevailing nowadays and to pace up with the same, some concrete steps had to be taken. Few people of the village planned to improve their living by collecting funds from the residents to reform Jia Sarai. Anil, another local was positive about this and said: “We are planning to revamp the village and I am sure if we all come together we will be able to live up to it.”