Makeshift shanties at Dhobi Ghat razed, two weeks major demolition drive by DDA

Two weeks after their shanties were razed by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA), residents of the Dhobi Ghat slum cluster in Jamia Nagar found themselves without a roof over their heads once again after authorities demolished the remaining makeshift structures on Thursday.

Two weeks after their shanties were razed by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA), residents of the Dhobi Ghat slum cluster in Jamia Nagar found themselves without a roof over their heads once again after authorities demolished the remaining makeshift structures on Thursday.

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Rukshana Begum, a domestic worker who had lost her job during the Covid-19 lockdown, said, “We had nowhere to go after they demolished our houses as we did not have any money. We had set up temporary structures, a little away from our homes, and were sleeping there for the past two weeks. But they razed everything this morning and took away the broken furniture as well,” she said.

On September 24, DDA officials had carried out a demolition drive and freed up around 2.5 acres of land. Officials had said there were around 200 temporary structures in the area. According to DDA, the drive was necessary to remove encroachments from the Yamuna floodplains and was done on the directions of the National Green Tribunal.

Following the demolition, residents had managed to repair some of the broken cots and had erected makeshift structures near their razed homes to make do till they found a proper place. These structures were also removed on Thursday.

“I could not go to work after the first demolition as there was nobody to take care of my children,” said Saira Parveen, 24, a domestic worker with three children. “For the past two days, authorities have been digging up the land where our homes were located. As a result, the whole area is full of water. We can’t live there anymore. We were sleeping in the open nearby and even that option was eliminated today. Where do we go now?”

Women residents have a far pressing problem -- they do not have any access to clean toilets since the past two weeks. “The toilets were the first thing they razed last time. This has forced us to go out in the open,” said Parveen. “There is no money to even buy food. We were relying on meals distributed by NGOs once a day,” she said.

Residents said around 60 families, comprising roughly 350 people, had lost their homes after this second round of demolition. They also alleged that authorities had dug up pits in the remaining area to ensure that the slum-dwellers do not return.

“The water stinks. There is a risk of dengue and other diseases. Our children have been falling sick with fever and cold. There is no means to protect ourselves from the Covid-19 pandemic,” said Mohammad Jahangir, who did painting work before the Covid-19 lockdown.

“We were not running away with their land. Even if they can’t let us live there, shouldn’t the authorities have made some alternative arrangements for us before rendering us homeless during a pandemic?” said Jahangir, adding that he had no money to rent a room for his family of seven.

The DDA did not respond to phone calls and text messages seeking its comment on the matter.