Even as bulldozers arrived at the Bhalswa Dairy Colony Tuesday following a Delhi High Court order, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) was compelled to temporarily halt the demolition amid strong resistance from thousands of residents.
Expressing concern over cattle feeding on garbage from nearby landfills, saying that the quality of milk was being compromised, the High Court had recently ordered the relocation of dairies at Bhalswa to Ghogha Dairy Colony in four weeks.
The night before, barricades were put up around 8 pm. By 6 am on Tuesday, three bulldozers arrived. Security personnel were deployed by 7 am. By then, residents gathered at Gujjar Chowk, blocking the road, raising slogans, and waving the Tricolour.
“The MCD arrived with its bulldozers but 10,000-15,000 people had gathered to stop the demolition, so the action could not take place. We will now carry out the demolition after August 15 when more security personnel are available to be deployed in the area,” an MCD official stated.
Residents alleged they were being unfairly punished for the waste management issues stemming from the Bhalswa landfill established in 1994.
In an official notice dated August 6, the MCD had given occupants of “illegally used dairy plots” in Bhalswa Dairy Colony a three-day notice to vacate the area. “A survey of Bhalswa Dairy Colony was undertaken by the department, wherein it was found that occupiers of the dairy plots had carried out unauthorised and illegal construction, changing its use to residential, commercial shops, factory or industry, godown, which is against the terms and conditions of allotment for operating the dairy plot in the form of dairy farming units,” the notice read.
For many, the looming threat of losing their homes triggered panic. Vivek Kumar Sharma’s family claimed he attempted to take his own life on August 9 after receiving the MCD notice. He was saved by neighbours who broke down his door to rescue him. “We sold our village land to make this house. It has just been two months since we shifted here, and now we are being asked to relocate,” said Kumar’s mother, Kamlesh, a factory worker.
“Those who are living here on rent have vacated their houses but we do not plan on leaving. If my house, which is more precious than my own life, is being demolished, what will I do by saving my belongings?” Kumar added. However, a police officer claimed, “He had made a PCR call, after he received the notice to vacate, that he had chest pain. We took him to the hospital for a check-up but nothing was found.”
Tauseen, 42, whose family has lived in the Bhalswa Dairy for years, expressed his frustration. “They announced yesterday that we should empty our houses and shops… Our families have been staying here for 50 years. For whom did they make schools and hospitals in this area? It’s not for the animals, it is for us, right? Then why are they asking us to relocate? This is my birthland, and now they are asking us to shift 20 km away where there is no transport, no school, no hospitals, nothing but wilderness. They’ll provide us with land to keep our cattle, but we have to stay where our cattle are, or else they’ll get stolen.”
Many residents claimed that cattle feeding on garbage do not belong to them, and are owned by people from Azadpur Market who have no land to keep their cattle.
“Try visiting the Azadpur Market… there are cattle everywhere. Those who do not own land leave their cattle to roam around the landfill… Why should our cattle be removed?” questioned Purvez, a resident.
Masoom Khan, another resident, recalled the struggles they’ve faced over the years. “If they are working on reducing the size of the landfill, then why do they need to displace us now? When we came to this area, there was no landfill — just a garbage dumping site. It was in 2012 when they (MCD) stopped working on garbage reduction at the landfill. We protested multiple times, after which operations to reduce the landfill’s size began again in 2020; by then, it had turned into a garbage mountain. We stopped trucks from dumping garbage, and now, because of their careless attitude, we are being punished,” he alleged.
Khan added, “After my jhopdi was demolished in Shalimar Bagh, I worked hard to earn money and build a house here. Now, this house too is being demolished. I’ve lost the strength and courage to build another again.”
Just like Khan, many other residents also purchased the allotted dairy land to build their homes. Abdur Rehman, 67, who had to be rushed to the hospital due to high blood pressure after the bulldozers arrived, said, “Many of us have spent our savings to build a house. If it was illegal to sell or convert this land for residential or commercial purposes, then why were they collecting house and commercial taxes from us every year?”
Residents gather near a bulldozer as they try to stop a demolition drive by the MCD in Bhalswa, Tuesday. (PTI Photo) 
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