NEW DELHI — A fresh wave of fear has spread across the Batla House area in Okhla after the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) pasted new notices ordering the removal of thousands of slums near the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway. Residents, many of whom have been living in these settlements for over two decades, now face the threat of being left homeless within just a few days.
The notices, which appeared over the weekend, direct all occupants to vacate their homes by 17 July. If they fail to do so, a demolition drive is scheduled to begin on July 18 and continue on July 19.
“I’ve been living here for 21 years. I collect garbage to feed my children. If they destroy our homes, where will we go?” asked Abdul, a resident of the slum cluster, holding the notice in his hand. His voice trembled with worry. “We are poor, but we are not criminals. Don’t treat us like this.”
Most residents said they had no prior information about any plan to remove them. “No one came to speak to us before this. One day, they just pasted these notices. That too on a Sunday when government offices are closed,” said Sabira, a widow and mother of four. “Are we not citizens of this country?”
She pointed to the tin-roofed shanty she called home. “This may be small, but it is everything we have. If they destroy it, we will sleep on the road.”
The slums in question lie near the construction zone of the ambitious Delhi-Mumbai Expressway project, which is being developed from Sarai Kale Khan and passing through parts of South Delhi. According to the DDA, the demolition is necessary to make way for a service road and related infrastructure.
The sudden appearance of the notices has caught everyone off guard. “We were not even informed verbally. The notices were just pasted on the walls,” said Ayub Khan, another resident. “There was no camp, no survey, no warning. It is as if they want to erase us overnight.”
The notice, signed by DDA officials, cites unauthorised occupation and illegal construction as grounds for removal. But residents argue that they have documents proving their long-term stay in the area, including electricity bills, voter IDs, and ration cards.
“They say we are illegal, but they took our votes every election. They gave us electricity connections. They took bribes when we built roofs,” claimed Shanno Begum. “Now suddenly they remember we are illegal?”
The demolition appears linked to ongoing construction of the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway, a major infrastructure project aimed at reducing travel time and boosting trade. The area in question falls under the Yamuna floodplain zone, where several unauthorised settlements have existed for years.
This story was originally published in clarionindia.net. Read the full story here.
