‘When the bulldozer arrived, no one came to help…’: Ahead of polls, Delhi voters who lost homes in demolition drives demand change

The three sites now look very different from each other: in Mehrauli, gaping holes made by men and machinery in a multi-storey building have been patched up with bricks; rubble and belongings from homes that were broken down were still piled high on a plot of land behind Delhi Public School Mathura Road; while a large, vacant site was cleared of debris and fenced by a wall topped with barbed wire in Tughlaqabad.

Those who bore the brunt of the bulldozer, meanwhile, are now living on rent — a family of four or five in a single room in a colony across the road from the demolition site — or still staying put at the demolition site, amid the rubble, for fear of losing the land.

The Indian Express revisited the three areas and spoke to residents who had several things on their minds — anger at the help they did not receive despite knocking on several doors, concerns over the possibility of more demolitions, and questions on whether any party in power can help now — which will factor in as they step out to vote on May 25.

Tughlaqabad, South Delhi Lok Sabha constituency

Sitting in a single rented room that is now her house, Renu, 49, who works as a nurse with a private agency, and whose home was demolished in the area’s Bengali Colony last year, said, “When the bulldozer arrived, nobody came to help. Nobody stood with us… so, who will we vote for? Koi humara saath dene ke liye nahi aaye… log gusse mein hain. We lost our belongings in the demolition. I don’t want to vote for any of them… the (Archaeological Survey of India, under the BJP-ruled Centre) BJP carried out the demolitions, but the AAP government did nothing. Dealers sold the land to us and we took a loan to buy it. We didn’t know it was government land.”

Then and now: A large, vacant site was cleared of debris and fenced by a wall topped with barbed wire at the Tughlaqabad demolition site (Express Photo by Abhinaya Harigovind)

In April 2023, the ASI cleared a settlement in the area after the Delhi High Court had directed the agency to remove encroachments in and around the Tughlaqabad Fort. An ASI official had said last year that they served 1,248 notices in the area and cleared around 96 bighas of land. This land is now cleared and empty, save for a temple, and is surrounded by a wall topped with barbed wire.

Renu’s family of four now lives in the single room, on an upper floor of a multi-storey building, for which they pay rent of Rs 5,000 per month. The room is in a narrow lane, across the road from where their home once stood on a 50 gaj plot they bought eight years ago.

Her husband is an auto driver, while her daughter, a second-year college student, works a call-centre job at night, she said. She has lived in Delhi all her life.

Renu added, “The Delhi government also appears to be turning a blind eye. Even if we cannot get the land back, at least help us with what we spent on building these houses, or provide rehabilitation.”

Priyanka, 40, a domestic worker and mother of three, lives in a similar single room in a nearby lane. The family of five had two rooms and a kitchen in their house that was demolished. “We don’t have any of that now… it’s all squeezed into one small room. That house was built seven years ago. It was taken away. Ab kisko vote de? We have been pushed back by a few years… and lost what was built with difficulty…,” she said.

“The Prime Minister seems to have forgotten the poor… nobody has stood with us,” she added.

Mehrauli, South Delhi Lok Sabha constituency

It has been more than a year since houses were demolished by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) in Mehrauli in February last year.

A third-floor resident of a multi-storey building, that once housed 10 families and was razed, said it was all “politics”. “The buildings in this area, including this one, came up 5-7 years ago. They (BJP) were in the MCD for 15 years… unke jaate hi ghar toote hain yahaan (once the BJP lost the MCD polls, houses were demolished). Maybe if they win in Delhi, these things won’t happen again. Notices were given to several buildings here then. Humein Kejriwal aur Modi se koi matlab nahi hain. It’s about who can do something for us, and it looks like the AAP cannot. Their people are in jail. These demolitions are about politics… these buildings were allowed to be built, registry was done… if that wasn’t the case, we wouldn’t have been in such shock,” said the resident, whose family is from Katihar in Bihar.

Then and Now: In Mehrauli, gaping holes in a multi-storey building that was partially razed have been patched up with bricks. (Express Photo by Abhinaya Harigovind)

The building had not been brought down completely, but several of the walls were pulled down, leaving large holes in the structure. Since then, it has been patched up with brick and cement. “The builder did that, but the building is still uninhabitable because there is no electricity meter or water connection,” said Hori Lal, 54, a halwai from Agra who moved to Delhi in 1984. His family owned a ground-floor home in the building.

“We have rented a two-room house in Islam Colony nearby. But some of our things are still here. Like the emperors of earlier centuries, they (the BJP) want control over Delhi… and then they will only go on to break things down like this,” claimed Lal, who has three sons.

Demolitions in the area were carried out near Jahaz Mahal, a Lodi-era monument, and near the Mehrauli bus terminal. The DDA had said the exercise was meant to reclaim government or DDA land that is part of the Mehrauli Archaeological Park for its use as a park.

Two months before the buildings were razed, in December 2022, the DDA had pasted demolition notices on a few properties in Mehrauli for  alleged encroachment in the vicinity of the Mehrauli Archaeological Park. In November last year, however, the Delhi High Court quashed the notices after residents challenged the demarcation of land based on which the DDA began clearing encroachments.  The court noted that no intimation was issued to residents before the demolition notice, and directed the land agency to ensure that all petitioners are accorded a “fair and reasonable opportunity to be heard” before any further demolition.

Near the Mehrauli bus terminal and across the road from the Tomb of Adham Khan, a general of Mughal Emperor Akbar, some buildings that were partially demolished had sheets covering them. S Rathore, 47, runs a vehicle tyre store on the ground floor of one of the buildings. He lives on the top floor, where a metal sheet covers the part that was broken in the demolition exercise. “It was built in 1979. The building seems to be a little shaky now,” he said.

Near his store, the rubble of two buildings that were demolished entirely still lies strewn around. Another three-storey structure near the Mehrauli post office where some walls and large parts of the ground floor were brought down, still stands, with belongings of residents scattered across.

Both the Mehrauli and Tughlaqabad demolitions, near monuments, were carried out a few months ahead of the G20 Summit in September last year.

Sunder Nagar, near Mathura Road, East Delhi Lok Sabha constituency

A little over 13 km away in Sunder Nagar area, behind DPS Mathura Road, three-four families still live amid the rubble of hundreds of homes that were demolished last November by the Land and Development Office of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.

Other residents who moved out return to the area in the evening sometimes, discussing the demolition; rent that goes up to Rs 16,000 in nearby areas; belongings that remain stuck under piles of debris; and whether they are likely to get any relief from the Supreme Court.

Last year, the Delhi HC dismissed a plea by residents seeking review and recall of its 2019 order which said that no JJ clusters were in existence on the land before January 1, 2006. JJ clusters that have come up after this date are not eligible for rehabilitation, as per Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board rules. The matter is in the apex court.

Manohar, 44, who still lives at the site with his family, including four daughters and a son, said, “We don’t have enough money to move out. I earn only daily wages and expenses are going up. All of us vote here. Nobody came to help us, no party. But AAP has done good work… paani free, bijli free,” he said, referring to the AAP-Delhi government’s subsidies.

Mustaqim, 49, whose family also continues to live in the open at the site, said, “(PM Narendra) Modi ji said ‘jahan jhuggi wahan makaan’. Here there’s no jhuggi, no house. The councillor and MLA (AAP Jangpura MLA Praveen Kumar) helped us with the court case. Now we can only hope…”

A few years ago, before illness forced him to stop, he worked at the Nizamuddin railway station, clearing bodies of those who may have fallen, from the tracks, said Mustaqim, who added that he has lived in the same area all his life.

Shabeena, 52, his sister, who also continues to live at the site with her husband, son, daughter-in-law, and two grandchildren, said, “They have stolen the roof over our head. We had a life before this and have now returned to zero. So many things are still stuck under the demolished material. We cook here on a chulha now.”

Party speak

For the Lok Sabha polls, the AAP has fielded Sahi Ram Pehalwan from South Delhi, while the BJP’s candidate is Ramvir Singh Bidhuri. In East Delhi, AAP’s pick Kuldeep Kumar is up against BJP’s Harsh Malhotra.

Earlier this year, AAP leaders claimed the BJP wants to demolish slums in Delhi. AAP Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj had said the BJP is “destroying homes.” The BJP has, on its part, said the AAP government has not allowed benefits of the Centre’s housing schemes to reach the poor.

A senior AAP leader said since land does not come under the Delhi government but agencies under the Centre’s control, BJP was directly responsible for the demolition drives. “BJP has shown in its actions that it is anti-poor. Many people were left homeless because of them. We have tried to help the people in whichever way possible but officers have not been cooperating with us for the past year since the Parliament passed the GNCTD (Amendment) Act. This is why it is important to have a pro-people leader in the Parliament,” the leader said.

Delhi BJP President Virendra Sachdeva said, “It is the PM’s dream to ensure that every Indian has a roof over their head and the BJP is committed to that vision. The anti-encroachment drives that have taken place have been executed as per court orders and directives which came from time to time. That being said, they are also a symptom of the multiplicity of authorities in Delhi. The BJP is committed, that the day it comes to power in Delhi, its double-engine government under the guidance of the Centre will, like it provides food to those in need, ensure that everyone in need has their own roof over their head.”