New Delhi: As bulldozers rolled in before dawn on Wednesday at the Bhoomiheen jhuggi-jhopri camp in south Delhi’s Govindpuri, with heavy police deployment standing by to prevent any flare-ups, families scrambled to gather their meagre belongings in the dark. By the time the sun was up, hundreds were left homeless in the searing heatwave gripping the national Capital.
The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) said that 344 jhuggi constructions, the majority of which were uninhabited, were demolished on its encroached land, and that there was no stay by any court. Notices had been issued on June 9, giving residents three days to vacate.
Among the many despondent residents was 45-year-old Satyawati, a domestic worker born and raised in the very camp now reduced to rubble.
“I was born here. My parents died here. I take care of my children alone,” she said. “We’ve been on the road since morning. It’s too hot, and we haven’t eaten.”
She earns Rs 6,000–7,000 a month cleaning homes but is now unsure how she will get through the week. “We thought the demolition would start at 10 or 11 am, but they came at 5. People were still asleep,” she added.
The demolition drive comes as Delhi reels under a severe heatwave. The India Meteorological Department has issued a red alert, with temperatures reaching 45.5 degrees Celsius in parts of the city.
For those now out on the streets, the timing of the DDA’s action has only worsened their plight.
“There were promises of Jahan Jhuggi Wahan Makaan, but we were never allotted any flat. Now we will have to live on the road,” said another woman, her belongings piled
in plastic bags.
Most residents are migrant workers from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. The area was cordoned off by police and paramilitary forces as the demolition began. “We’ve deployed adequate force to ensure peaceful execution of the drive,” said an official.
The Bhoomiheen Camp has faced demolition earlier — in May and July 2023. The latest action follows the Delhi High Court’s dismissal of writ petitions, according to the DDA.
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, responding to criticism, said the government could not override court orders. “Displaced families are being provided accommodation,” she said. However, many residents claimed they had received no help.
Atishi slams BJP for its ‘anti-poor agenda’
Meanwhile, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and Leader of Opposition Atishi condemned the drive as a “deliberate assault on Delhi’s poor,” calling it yet another betrayal by the BJP-led government.
She alleged the demolition was carried out just hours before a scheduled court hearing and accused the BJP’s DDA, Delhi Government, and DUSIB of actively seeking the court’s demolition order.
“Just three days ago, the CM had claimed no jhuggi would be touched. Now the entire Bhoomiheen Camp lies in ruins,” she said.
Labeling the BJP an “anti-poor party”, Atishi said the government had failed to provide housing and instead acted against the very people it promised to protect.
“In 100 days, the BJP has raised power and education costs and now demolished poor people’s homes,”
she added. with agency inputs