3 min readNew DelhiFeb 1, 2019 02:16 AM IST
First published on: Feb 1, 2019 at 02:16 AM IST
Residents alleged they were not given any prior notice. (Express photo: Abhinav Rajput)
More than 50 jhuggis near the railway track at INA were demolished by the Northern Railways on Wednesday, leaving hundreds of residents without shelter. This comes even as the city is reeling under cold weather conditions.
While residents alleged that they were not given any prior notice to shift from the area, Divisional Railway Manager, Northern Railways, R N Singh, said they were informed at least 15 days in advance.
Nisha Devi, whose home was demolished, said, “I have two children, aged one and two years… We had nothing to eat for more than 24 hours… Today, I managed to collect wood and cook chappatis. My children have been crying the whole night due to the cold. We have been living here for past 20 years.”
DRM Singh, however, said these are new encroachments and the homes of those who have been living here for more than 20 years have not been touched. “We removed squatters as we have been receiving reports of accidents on the tracks… We cannot risk lives of common people, as well as the train passengers…”
He also claimed most of the residents were scrap dealers and used the area to store scrap and hazardous materials, which put the safety on the track at stake.
The pradhan of the area, Bacha Yadav, said most people have been living here for over two decades: “The children have exams, how will they study now? People are sleeping near the tracks… The railways could have waited for winter to end before carrying out the drive.”
According to residents, railway officials who cleared the encroachments said the remaining jhuggis will also be removed. “Even during the Commonwealth Games, we were not removed… a wooden plank was erected so that our jhuggis were not visible to foreign delegates,” said a resident.
A senior official said the Railways is in the process of fencing its tracks for the high-speed T18 train, and that encroachments close to the track will be cleared. “Otherwise, there are high chances of people and cattle being hit,” he said.
In 2017, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had instructed all land-owning agencies to not demolish jhuggis until the end of winter.
Ankit Jha of Basti Suraksha Manch, an organisation working for slum dwellers, said they will go to court against the demolition.
Residents alleged they were not given any prior notice. (Express photo: Abhinav Rajput)
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