Bulldozer Raj? Delhi demolition leaves 300 families homeless

New Delhi: More than 300 families have been left homeless after the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) and the Municipal Corporation carried out a demolition drive along the Yamuna riverfront, razing homes near 32 ghats in the Yamuna Bazar area on June 25.

Authorities said around 310 families were evicted because the settlement falls within the Yamuna floodplain, classified as O Zone, where construction is prohibited. The demolition, they said, was carried out in compliance with directions issued by the National Green Tribunal after residents were served notices asking them to vacate the area.

However, residents alleged that the authorities arrived with bulldozers before the deadline mentioned in the final notice, which had allowed them time until July 4 to leave. They accused officials of forcing them out without providing adequate rehabilitation, despite generations of families having lived in the locality.

Many of those displaced depend on the Yamuna ghats for their livelihood, including priests performing temple rituals, boat operators, flower vendors and barbers. With their homes demolished, they said they had also lost their primary source of income.

The affected families questioned how they could suddenly be branded as illegal encroachers after receiving basic civic amenities, such as electricity and drinking water, from government agencies for years. They further alleged that power and water supplies had been disconnected even before the demolition began, worsening their hardships.

The DDA, meanwhile, maintained that the eviction formed part of a legally mandated exercise to clear encroachments from the Yamuna floodplain and protect the river ecosystem, insisting that due procedure had been followed before the demolition was carried out.