Structures being razed during a demolition drive at Bhoomiheen Camp in Govindpuri in south-east Delhi on Wednesday.
| Photo Credit: ANUSHKA KOGTA

Nearly 350 tenements spread across the five-acre Bhoomiheen Camp in south-east Delhi’s Kalkaji were demolished by the Delhi Development Authority on Wednesday morning following orders by the Delhi High Court.

The court had on June 6 allowed the urban body to demolish the dwellings at the JJ cluster, noting that “none of the petitioners have any legal right to continue occupying the JJ cluster incessantly, to the detriment of the public at large”. A day later, the DDA asked the residents to vacate the area by June 10.

At least five bulldozers were deployed for the anti-encroachment drive, which started at 5 a.m. and flattened a total of 344 dwellings. A number of police and paramilitary personnel were also stationed in the area to maintain law and order.

The residents, who work as street vendors, daily wage labourers and house helps in nearby areas like C.R. Park, claimed that the site was home to nearly 1,200 families. Those who weren’t deemed eligible for the November 2022 rehabilitation scheme, through which new flats were allotted to Bhoomiheen Camp residents in Kalkaji Extension, pointed out that the drive had been conducted at the peak of summer. And that renting a place in the adjoining areas, known for their sky-high rents, was beyond their means.

‘Can’t afford rent’

Kapoori, a 70-year-old widow who suffers from several diseases, including TB, said, “I can’t afford to move into a rented accommodation. I had laid the foundation stone of my house with my very own hands during Indira Gandhi’s time as the Prime Minister.”

Several residents claimed discrepancies with the manner in which the list of beneficiaries was prepared.

Bablu Sharma, 33, said, “Our joint family has a total of 17 voters registered here. However, the officials informed us that one address can’t have so many voters and removed our name from the electoral roll. What is our fault?”

“This action [eviction] is crucial for reclaiming DDA land, completing housing projects for other JJ clusters in the vicinity, and preventing further illegal encroachments,” the DDA had earlier said.

The urban body plans to utilise the area to provide flats to the slum dwellers at Navjeevan Camp and Jawahar Camp before launching similar drives in those areas.

Oppn. hits out at CM

On June 8, against the backdrop of demolitions at the Madrasi Camp, Ms. Gupta had said that the slums in the city were being demolished following courts’ directions and that neither her government nor the administration “can do anything about it”. However, she ensured that no slum cluster in the city would be razed “illegally”.

Leader of the Opposition Atishi of the Aam Aadmi Party, who is also the incumbent MLA from Kalkaji, visited the site on Wednesday and attacked Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, saying, “She says there’s a court order [to demolish the houses at Bhoomiheen Camp]. But who stood in the court and argued to demolish these jhuggis? The BJP is an anti-poor party.”