Fear, anger prevail in Batla House ahead of impending demolition
'Why were we given electricity meters? Why were water and gas supplies provided? Government agencies came and installed meters, collected revenue, and now, all of a sudden, we get a demolition notice,' said a frustrated Jawed, echoing the sentiments in Batla House area of Southeast Delhi's Okhla ahead of an impending demolition drive.
Anger and chaos prevailed in the streets of Batla House on Wednesday as locals feared that bulldozers could come in at any moment. Many locals, who said they had been living in the area for five to six decades, said they were shocked when the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) put up demolition notices two weeks ago on May 26, announcing that the demolition was expected to take place on June 11.
'Mera makaan 1978 ka hai… humne koi aur arrangement nahi ki hai. Hume court pe poora bharosa hai.' (My house was constructed in 1978, we haven't made any other alternate arrangements as we have complete faith in the court,' said Sultan, another local.
Roshan Begum (75) recalled living in a kuccha in the area since 1983. She and her family recently moved to a pucca house after taking a loan from their relatives. 'Agar ye toot gaya to pata nahi hum kaha jaayenge, aur karza to hume tab bhi chukana padega. Hum to bas yahi chahte hai ki hume wo mile jo humara haq hai.' (If this gets demolished, we have no idea where we'll go, and we'll still have to repay the loan. All we want is to get what rightfully belongs to us).'
Her daughter, Naseem, broke down while explaining that they are seven brothers and sisters, each with two to three children. They all live in the same house. 'In the last stage of their life, if my parents see this house getting torn down, they would be rendered helpless and hopeless.' she lamented.
Several families also challenged the DDA's claim, asserting that their homes did not fall under the disputed land. A few residents, like Ishrat Jahan, managed to get temporary stay orders. 'I didn't even cook Eid feast this year,' she said. 'I was busy collecting documents to prove our house is legal.'
With most people lacking alternative housing options, they pinned all their hopes on the hearing in the Delhi High Court scheduled for Thursday afternoon on the larger petition filed by Okhla MLA and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Amanatullah Khan.
When the petition was finally heard, the HC allowed the AAP MLA to withdraw his petition, saying it was non-maintainable. The court passed a general order of protection in a PIL of this sort was likely to jeopardise the case of individual litigants.
Khan said he sought to withdraw the PIL so that the Okhla MLA, 'who is a public-spirited individual', can 'inform local residents of Batla House of their right to file appropriate proceedings before the appropriate forum within three working days.' The DDA, however, refused to give any written assurance to the court about the demolition.
The HC had earlier refused to grant an urgent stay on the planned demolition.
Earlier on May 7, the Supreme Court had passed an order directing the demolition of alleged illegal construction. Subsequently, on May 26, the DDA had put up the notices, which stated, 'The Hon'ble Supreme Court has directed that such action shall be taken after giving 15 days' notice to the occupants of such illegal/unauthorised structures… the demolition program shall be carried out from 11-06-2025 (Wednesday) without any further notice. The occupants… have been duly warned.'
(The writers are interns with The Indian Express)
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