Delhi: 'Treated like insects', complain Madrasi camp dwellers amid demolition
As per Delhi HC order, 370 huts at Madrasi slum in Jangpura were razed on Sunday to clean the Barapullah drain. The ousted Tamil migrants slammed BJP regime
Peramma (55 years), a resident of Madrasi Camp in Jangpura in the capital, was hurriedly packing all her belongings when the JCBs rolled in, around 7.30 am on Sunday (June 1). She pleaded with the personnel to give her half an hour more but they refused to oblige her.
Left with no choice, she quickly salvaged what she could and ran out with her 18-month-old grandson in her arms. Her bed, utensils and other possessions were destroyed within hours, she claimed.
'Treated like insects'
A bitter Peramma told The Federal, “I have been staying here for 50 years, at least. I was born here, then my children and my grandchildren were born here. But, today, we were treated like insects; like we do not belong here. We just asked them for time, but they could not even give that to us. We have been sitting here for hours on the street, but nobody has even offered us any food or water. This is the government that claimed we would all get houses here, and now they’re nowhere to be seen."
Peramma's shanty was one of the 370 huts that were razed on Sunday, amid heavy police and paramilitary presence. The slum, inhabited by Tamil migrants, who had settled in Jangpura for generations, was demolished as per the directions of the Delhi High Court, who noted that the area needed to be cleared to clean the Barapullah drain.
Residents were still packing their belongings when the JCBs rolled in and started razing their homes to the ground
Earlier, the local policemen had allegedly told Peramma and the other residents of the Madrasi Camp in Jangpura that they would get more time to move, but that did not happen.
Also read: CPI(M) slams Delhi govt move to demolish Madrasi Camp slum
Apart from police personnel, members from the Rapid Action Force (RAF) were also present at the spot. Riot control vehicles and a truck of the Delhi Fire Service were stationed there as well.
Rehabilitation 'essential'
While the Delhi HC had ruled that the area had to be cleared, it also said that the rehabilitation of the residents was “essential”. Of the 370 families, however, only 215 were eligible for rehabilitation at Narela, nearly 50 km away.
“There is no electricity or water in Narela and the rooms are dirty. It’s completely unliveable. It is being done just for the sake of it, as though our lives have no worth. Moreover, how will we travel so far everyday? All our work is here,” said Sivagami, a domestic help.
Janaki, a resident of Madrasi Camp for 50 years, is homeless now because she did not submit documents on time to show she is eligible to be rehabilitated
ACP Mihir Sakaria, who oversaw the demolition, refused to divulge to The Federal the number of personnel present at the spot. However, he said that five JCBs had been working since morning. “The demolition will continue into the afternoon, and we hope to be done by then. After that, it will take us a couple of days to remove all the debris. Some slum residents also want to take out their things from the debris, so that will take some time as well,” he admitted.
Asked what would happen to those people who have not been allotted houses, he said, “I really can’t say.”
Without a roof over their heads, several slum dwellers had parked themselves near the Barapullah drain, squatting on buckets, water tanks, stools or anything else they could find. Charpoys and beds were used to protect themselves from the blistering sun. Most of them confessed that they had no idea where they would spend the night, and blamed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Delhi for their plight.
Homeless and angry
Annadorai, a labourer, was seething with anger. “This is what Modi has done. He told us ‘jahan jhuggi, wahan makaan’, and now we are homeless. Why did they give us an Aadhar card and other documents for Delhi, if they are not considered valid? This is not our land, that’s why we are treated so badly. If this was Tamil Nadu, they would not have dared to treat us this way. The police took money from us promising to give us more time to move but the JCBs rolled in and they refused to help us,” he said.
Also read: Delhi's Madrasi camp demolition: Will families get homes? A ground report
AAP leaders, including Atishi and Manish Sisodia, who had been against the demolition of the camp, were missing in action. On Sunday morning, only a CPI(M) delegation had arrived to protest over the demolition
Janaki, a resident of Madrasi Camp for 50 years, said she was left homeless because she could not submit documents for eligibility on time due to a personal crisis. “I told them my husband was very ill, and that I was in the hospital to look after him so I could not submit documents on time. They asked me to write an application. I did so, but I’m on the road despite that,” she said.
Pushpa Kumari, who works as a house help in nearby East Kailash, said she was not rehabilitated as well.
“I have an Aadhar, voter card and PAN card too. Only my ration card is from Tamil Nadu because we get a lot more benefits there from the card, so I have been denied rehabilitation. We will have to seek accommodation in the Tamil basti in nearby Jal Vihar because we can’t afford to go to Narela and ruin our livelihood,” she said.
Pushpa Kumari, who works as a house help in nearby East Kailash, has refused to go to Narela, where the government has given alternative accommodation
'Betrayal', say residents
“So many people in this slum who earlier voted for Congress or AAP (Aam Aadmi Party), this time voted for BJP. The current MLA (Tarvinder Singh) Marwah told us he’ll get houses built here. Today, we’re in peril and he is nowhere to be seen. This government has betrayed us,” she added.
Locals said even AAP leaders, including Atishi and Manish Sisodia, who had been against the demolition of the camp, were missing in action. On Sunday morning, only a CPI(M) delegation had arrived to protest over the demolition.
