4 days ago
Bulldozers flatten Madrasi Camp amid heavy security
As dawn broke on Sunday, bulldozers rumbled into Madrasi Camp in south Delhi's Jangpura under the watchful eyes of a police contingent and started tearing down hundreds of houses in the decades-old slum cluster, while stunned residents, some teary-eyed, looked on.
The demolitions were a result of a Delhi High Court order dated May 9, which directed the authorities to clear the area along the Barapullah drain as part of a restoration and cleaning drive for the 16-kilometre-long drain, which flows into the Yamuna river.
Wiping her tears, Rani, a 50-year-old widow, said, 'My family left Madras [now Chennai] 55 years ago without any belongings. I built my house, which meant the world to me, from scratch. In a minute, they razed it.'
The area was inhabited mostly by residents hailing from Tamil Nadu.
155 families not on list
Of the 370 families in the area, 215 were found eligible for relocation under the 'Jahan Jhuggi Wahan Makaan' rehabilitation scheme. A total of 189 have been offered flats in Narela, while the remaining 26, found eligible under a revised list, are still awaiting allotment.
Members of the other families, which were declared ineligible, said surveyors rejected their claims citing reasons such as their names missing from voter lists and minor spelling mismatch in their documents.
While some families are said to have moved their belongings 40 km away to Narela, the exact count remains unclear. Several residents said the flats allotted to them lack basic amenities, including electricity and water, and have broken doors and no windows. The Delhi Development Authority, which allotted the flats, did not respond to these claims till the time of going to press.
Revati, 50, said, 'Here [Jangpura], the rent is very high. The flat in Narela is too far and not liveable. I am stuck in this situation.'
Annapurna, 60, added, 'Would sitting inside those (Narela) houses ensureroti (bread)?' Families with school-going children raised concerns over the lack of a Tamil-medium school in Narela, such as one near Barapullah. Some students said they barely understand Hindi, posing a major educational barrier.
Aam Aadmi Party Delhi chief Saurabh Bharadwaj said, 'On May 31, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta claimed that not a single jhuggi would be touched. But today, Madrasi Camp was razed, leaving thousands homeless.'
BJP Delhi president Virendra Sachdeva responded, 'Our government has provided alternative flats. AAP must explain why it treated slum dwellers as vote banks and failed to rehabilitate them.'
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam's Rajya Sabha member Tiruchi Siva said, 'These people survive on meagre incomes. Sending them far off isn't right, there should've been humanitarian consideration.'
