Residents watch their decades-old homes razed during demolition drive in Delhi's Madrasi Camp

New Delhi: Residents of Madrasi Camp in south Delhi's Jungpura looked on in despair as bulldozers rolled into their locality, tearing down homes many had lived in for decades. "Where will we live now?" — the sentiment was writ large on most faces as civic authorities carried out the demolition drive at the slum clusters near Barapullah bridge following a Delhi High Court order. "I have been living here for the past 60 years now. My children were born here, everything happened here. We are sitting on the road. We do not know where to go," said Janki, an elderly woman, sitting on the side of the road.

Residents and activists have urged the government to ensure proper rehabilitation before proceeding with further evictions. Around 370 working class families lived in the jhuggi cluster which has been in existence for around 60 years. They were served eviction notices last month and those eligible would be relocated to government flats in Narela. On April 12, officials declared a list of families that were eligible for the government-allotted flats. Only 189 families were found eligible for the flats. A notice issued by authorities to the residents on May 30 stated that trucks would be stationed at Barapullah Bridge from 11 pm on Friday till June 1 to assist in transporting their belongings to the allotted flats. Sumidhi, another resident, echoed the same concern. "I have been living here for 30 years now. Several generations have lived here. My daughter is also pregnant now. We were told we would be given homes." "There are so many families living here and earning a livelihood, but only 100-150 have been allotted (government flats). Where will we go now? We have not been allotted a house," she said Shanti, another resident of the jhuggi cluster, said their house was torn down without warning. "They demolished our house, we couldn't even take out all our belongings. We have lost many household items that we bought with our hard-earned money, she said. Raju, who has been living in the camp for 45 years, said that even those who were allotted homes in Narela are struggling. "Around 189 families were given houses, but the condition of those houses is terrible. There is no electricity, no water supply, and even the doors and windows are broken," he said. South East Delhi District Magistrate Anil Banka said the demolition drive was taken following high court orders. "This is part of an anti-encroachment drive as directed by the court. The narrowing of the Barapullah drain had made cleaning difficult, which leads to flooding during the monsoon," he said.

He added that 370 houses were demolished in the drive, and out of them, 189 families were found eligible for relocation to Narela. The operation was carried out with the help of the PWD, DUSIB, Revenue Department, and Delhi Police, he added. AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj posted on X saying the demolition drive at the Madrasi Camp appeared to go against the Delhi Chief Minister’s assurance that no slum would be removed. “Thousands of people lost their homes today as bulldozers moved into the Barapullah Madrasi Camp,” he wrote. He also urged Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin to take note of the situation faced by Tamil residents in the national capital.