07-05-2025
CPI(M) condemns eviction notices to slum dwellers
The Communist Party of India (Marxist) on Wednesday claimed that notices are being issued for demolition of slums and informal settlements across Delhi without providing proper rehabilitation.
CPI(M) Delhi secretary Anurag Saxena said that the National Green Tribunal's 2019 order to clear unauthorised structures across the Yamuna floodplain or drains in the Capital has been exploited by the BJP-led Central government to displace working-class bastis — treating long-standing communities as 'encroachments' and triggering large-scale evictions without proper rehabilitation.
'Under the guise of 'riverfront revitalisation' and 'beautification drives', land is being cleared for entertainment complexes and commercial developments that serve corporate interests, not public welfare. CPI(M) condemns this grotesque inversion of environmentalism, where the rights of the working class are sacrificed to fuel real estate profits,' Mr. Saxena said, adding that two slums in south-east Delhi's Taimur Nagar and at Bela Road have been demolished in the last one month.
He said that evicting these families without any proper rehabilitation measures is inhumane and a violation of their constitutional rights.
Regarding Madrasi Camp in south Delhi, Mr. Saxena said that the party strongly opposes any demolition, forced eviction or relocation to Narela, which lies nearly 50 km away from their current settlement. 'Such a move would severely disrupt their livelihoods, cut off access to essential services like schools and healthcare, and push families further into economic hardship,' he said.
The residents of Madrasi Camp have been opposing eviction notices issued to them and they do not want to shift to Narela, where they have been offered alternative flats.
'Immediate halt to all evictions and demolitions until every resident's appeal is fairly heard and resolved. Rehabilitation in-situ, or within a 5 km radius, per the 'Jahan Jhuggi, Wahaan Makaan' promise and government policies, to ensure continued access to livelihoods, education, essential services and community. Construction of flats on nearby vacant DDA land should be undertaken, if no appropriate housing is available, to comply with protocols and legal obligation,' the CPI(M) said in a statement.
