DDA’s demolition drive in Ashok Vihar razes 200 units

DDA said the operation focused only on jhuggis whose residents were allotted flats under the in-situ Jailorwala Bagh rehabilitation project

A special task force backed by heavy police deployment on Monday demolished hundreds of units in the Ashok Vihar slum cluster in north Delhi, in a massive demolition operation targeting over 200 structures.

The demolition underway in Wazirpur on Monday. (Sanchit Khanna/HT Photo)

The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) said the operation focused only on jhuggis whose residents had already been allotted flats under the in-situ Jailorwala Bagh rehabilitation project and excluded those protected by court orders.

Bulldozers and personnel from multiple agencies descended on the area early in the morning. Access roads were barricaded as machines began tearing down slum units. DDA, in a statement, clarified that 1,078 eligible families have already been resettled in 1BHK flats built on the same site in Jailorwala Bagh at a construction cost of ₹421 crore. Each flat, worth around ₹25 lakh, was provided for a heavily subsidised ₹1.4 lakh.

But residents and activists alleged that hundreds of families have been left out of the allotment process. “Only around 1,000 families were given flats, but more than 500 are still without any shelter,” said Rama Devi, a relative of one of the affected residents. “We’ve worked here for years as domestic workers and street vendors. Now we are being evicted without compensation or alternative housing.”

Others raised concerns about the quality and safety of the new flats. “The water supply is erratic, and law and order issues have risen. We felt safer on the ground floor in the slum than in these towers,” said Rohit Kumar, who was moved to the Jailorwala complex.

DDA defended its actions, saying that the demolitions targeted jhuggis of residents already rehabilitated or deemed ineligible under the scheme. “Stay orders were respected. The 250-odd jhuggis with high court protection were left untouched,” said an official. A total of 567 households were found ineligible based on the policy criteria.

Eligibility was on the basis of names appearing in the 2012-2015 voter rolls and possession of one of twelve identity documents, such as passports or bank passbooks. Those disqualified included people using jhuggis for commercial purposes, individuals under 18, and those living on upper floors without a separate ration card before January 1, 2015.

However, nine households successfully appealed their rejection and were allotted flats via a draw of lots. “We followed due process,” said the DDA official. “The ineligible were given a chance to appeal, and we honoured those decisions.”

This demolition is the latest in a series of clearance operations across the city, including Taimoor Nagar, Madrasi Camp, and Kalkaji’s Bhoomiheen Camp, part of what activists say is an intensifying eviction drive under the guise of urban renewal.

The crackdown triggered a political slugfest. Aam Aadmi Party national convenor Arvind Kejriwal accused the BJP of betraying its promise of “Jahan Jhuggi, Wahan Makaan.” “What does the BJP want? To erase every slum in Delhi? Why did the PM lie during elections?” Kejriwal posted on X.

AAP’s Delhi chief Saurabh Bharadwaj added, “Despite assuring people that not a single jhuggi would be touched, around a dozen bulldozers razed homes in Jailorwala Bagh on Monday. The BJP promised permanent housing. Instead, they’re throwing people onto the streets.”

The BJP declined to comment on the allegations made by the AAP.