Slum demolished, migrants face cold out in the open

New Delhi: A frantic Abhijeeta (name changed), a Class 6 student of a nearby government school, has been looking for his bag and uniform in the rubbles since the night of December 5 when all hell broke loose for his family and 300 others when their temporary houses were razed by DDA (Delhi Development Authority) and SDMC (South Delhi Municipal Corporation) in an alleged demolition drive.

The 30-acre site, where laughter and chuckles resonated the air once, is left with stories of cries, broken dreams, and haplessness.

To add to the woes, the slum-dwellers alleged that they were being threatened by a group of rogue elements, following which a team of police officials has been put in place for their security.

A demolition drive carried out by DDA and SDMC on the night of December 5 and on the morning of December 6 to clear the land allegedly belonging to DDA has rendered nearly 450 people, who were living there for the last 7 years, roofless. Five days have passed since then; the displaced families are still spending sleepless nights in the cold amidst rubbles.

“I don’t know what I did wrong that in seconds my house was turned into dust. I had school to attend but now there is nothing left except stacks of stones lying in front of my eyes. My mother has been crying since then. We don’t have a place to sleep, eat, or even take bath,” says a dejected Abhijeeta, a resident of Bangal Basti in Kishangarh.

Just a few meters ahead was Mousami’s house, who is a mother of three children. For an inconsolable Mousami, who had migrated from Bihar in search for job and had made home here for last five years, the world turned into rubbles in a blink of an eye when huge machines came and devastated her house. “We were not informed about the drive. A man with a machine came and razed our houses. With three children and with no food to eat, where would I go in this cold?” laments Mousami, who was trying to look for the money she had kept in a box amid the rubbles. Though the government came up with a quick fix solution by providing temporary shelter to the homeless families, the slum dwellers aren’t happy with this move of the government authorities. They accused them of not serving any notices to them before carrying out the drive. Meanwhile, Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia visited the slum and assured relief to the people affected and also promised to look into the matter.