As many as 25 slum houses were demolished at Sector 23 of Rithala Budh Vihar area to construct a road. Without any assurance of rehabilitation or compensation, the many who have been rendered homeless have no place to go in this heavy monsoon season.
"Bina kisi notice ke subh se akar ghar todna shuru kar diya. Humne or baccho ne subh se kuch khaya piya tak nahi hai . Humara toh saman bhi ghar mei h pada hai (Our houses have been demolished without any notice. We and our children haven't eaten since morning. Our things are also lying inside," said Vimla, 44, one of the residents whose house was demolished.
"I'm a widow and a mother of nine daughters. Where will I take my daughters now?" asked Sakshi, 50 who couldn't stop her tears witnessing her house being demolished. These people alleged that they have not been given any prior notice about the demolition and that the area being demolished is twice the area marked and required for the construction of the road.
With nowhere to go and no hope of aid from authorities or local leaders, these people are helpless. To some, their houses are not only their living spaces but also a source of their earning as they run small shops from their houses.
"Hume toh kuch samajh nahi aa raha ki aab kya kare. Humara ghar to iss dukan ki wajah se hi chal raha tha aab hum kahn jayenge , kya karege pata nahi (We are clueless about what to do next. We were surviving because of this shop. We don't know where to go now," said Shakuntala, 44, a shopkeeper who cleared her shop and house in a hurry.
These people are in a state of despair and anger and allege that this action has been influenced by the people living in the high-rise apartments nearby, with whom they have been engaged in a dispute for a long time now. They are worried about their children and their studies which will suffer because of this situation. "I have not been able to go to school for two days because of all this and with exams approaching fast it is a great loss to my studies," said Sagar, 13, who hurriedly helped his mother to clear the house to save their belongings.
The authorities are clear on their stand that they are following the high court's order but the plight of these people who have been deprived of their homes and livelihoods needs to be heard as well. " We cannot do anything, we are just following the court's order, " said RS Meena, SHO, Rohini police station who guided his team to clear the area as DDA officials demolished the houses. Local authorities and leaders are also reluctant to come forward as the orders are served by the court.
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 "Demolition Drive")
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