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Yamuna Pushta.Pmd I. Introduction The Delhi landscape is distinctive among Indian and other ‘third world’ megacities. The heavy impact of state policies has been evident for a long while. Today, state policies are in a “India Shining” distinctive new phase. A new, socially sanitized Delhi of ‘international standards’, of expressways and flyovers, Commonwealth games villages, places of exorbitant consumption, and landscaped Yamuna riverfronts, is in the making. Part of this state-sponsored redevelopment of the city requires suddenly ousting lakhs of slum-dwellers and not rehabilitating them. The latest to come under attack are the countless people staying in and around the riverfront in Yamuna Pushta, with the police, the courts, urban development agencies having decided to dispense with their lives and livelihood. Of course, demolitions and ‘resettlements’ have been A Report On standard fare for Delhi’s slum-dwellers, most notoriously during the Emergency in1975. In terms of the violation of people’s rights, Demolition and Resettlement of the Yamuna Pushta demolitions are therefore not unique. And yet they must be seen not merely as repetitions of earlier demolition Yamuna Pushta Bastis episodes but also as part of a recently renewed and intensified state commitment to the branding, upgrading and gentrification of the city. In the third and fourth weeks of April, amid media silence, PUDR conducted a fact-finding into the demolitions at Yamuna- Pushta and into the displacement of people to verify the government’s claim of a lawful, orderly and tranquil relocation. The arrests of residents, two fires in quick succession, and the plight of men, women and children forced to live without a roof under the blazing summer sun made for the urgency in releasing our findings to the press and in petitioning state authorities. The PUDR team visited Indira Colony and Sanjay Amar Colony situated behind the Vijay Ghat and stretching upto the old Yamuna Bridge. The situation for the other slum clusters facing destruction seems, from all reports, to be similar to that described here. The team also visited distant Bawana where the ‘resettlement’ of the oustees is taking place. Peoples Union for Democratic Rights, Delhi, May 2004 2 II. What Happened 17 Mar 1000 houses demolished in Gautampuri I in Pushta 24 Mar 3000 jhuggis destroyed in Kanchanpuri. 9 The settling of migrant workers on the Yamuna bank started protestors arrested over 30 years ago and the first survey was conducted in 1977. Events in Indira and Sanjay Amar colonies: The settlers bought land from farmers cultivating the flood 3 Apr Selected list of people were told to break their plain. A plot 20 feet by 40 feet sold, the PUDR team was told, houses. Demolition of these finally occurred on 7 at Rs.10,500 in 1991. In addition, it is alleged by older Apr residents that the construction of a kuchha dwelling required a payment of Rs.3,000 to DDA officials and Rs.1,000 to the 4 Apr Rally with petition to Sonia Gandhi blocked. 3 local police. They also allege that a pucca dwelling required representatives arrested. payments of Rs.10,000 and Rs.5,000 respectively. Apparently, 6 Apr Pradhans were called to the police chowki and even rebuilding of a kuchha jhuggi would require a payment threatened into breaking their own homes as 20 of Rs.500-1000 as bribe. Over the years the colony, thanks bulldozers were due to come the very next morning to political patronage, got authorised water and power 12 Apr At 9 am the police announced that all people should connections with individual billing. The people living in empty their houses since the bulldozers were these areas became an essential part of the city’s low wage arriving. Later, 2 suspicious fires with massive economy, performing tasks that were necessary but poorly destruction of homes. A child and an elderly man compensated. die as a result. And then suddenly, the authorities decided that these people were 16 Apr Policemen remove water pipes from their source dispensable, that they were a drag on an aspirational ‘India 18 Apr Another huge fire shining’. Demolitions followed.But what exactly does it mean to be demolished and displaced by the state? And further, what is III. Rights Violations the meaning of not being resettled and rehabilitated? The sequence of events given below provides some idea however partially of the The entire process of demolition and resettlement has way in which peoples’ lives shatter when the heavy arm of the involved gross and blatant violations of people’s rights. These state swings into action. have been the outcome of the acts of omission and commission by state institutions, as also a complete The Sequence of Events: disregard for the rights to life, freedom, and justice. Some Here is a sequence of only some of the most important events of these violations are listed and discussed below. (till mid-April) having to do with the demolitions: Illegal Arrests 5 Feb Single bench of High Court stays demolitions in A protest rally on 4 April planned by the residents was Pushta. prevented from proceeding despite prior permission from P.S. _ Feb A woman commits suicide in the Pushta following Kotwali. Three representatives, Dr. Siddiqui, Sri Bhagwan and demolitions Aslam were taken to the police station on the pretext of 12 Feb Division bench of the High Court vacates stay on taking them to submit their memorandum. They were demolitions arrested under sections 107/151 (security for keeping the 13 Feb 1000 houses in Gautampuri II in Pushta are peace, and arrest to prevent the commission of cognizable demolished offences) Cr.P.C. Another resident, Mehfooz was arrested 21 Feb Election Commission orders a halt on demolitions under the same sections the next day when he was until the elections are over returning from the court of the ACP where the three were produced. It may be noted that S.151 and 107 are minor 8 Mar EC changes stand. Approves the removal of more and bailable and carry a maximum detention of 24 hours than 18,000 jhuggis from Pushta 3 4 and a bond of good behaviour. However, all four continue to Disenfranchisement be in jail. A fire gutted a number of jhuggis on the afternoon of The Election Commission initially objected to the demolition 12 April. Anger and suspicion that the police was involved occurring during the election period. But it reversed its decision in setting the fire led to protests. It is claimed by residents after 3 days. Today there is little doubt that a large majority of that one policeman was attacked when he was found to be the 24,000 voters in Pushta are going to end up de facto involved in setting fire to the houses. The police retaliated disenfranchised. It was unclear for a long while whether the old by a lathicharge on the people trying to salvage their polling stations would be set up.In fact it was as late as the evening belongings from the houses. Shahnawaz, Salim, Bilal and of May 9, ie the day before the polling in Delhi that the Election Javed were picked up by the police randomly from the crowd. Commission passed orders for the old polling booths to be set up Javed, for example, was picked up even while he was trying and for special buses to ferry voters between the resettlement to cajole the police to stop hitting others. They were taken colonies and the polling stations. However the basti dwellers have away at 3 pm and detained in the chowki through the night been and will continue to be scattered here and there – some to and beaten. They were charged for setting the houses on Bawana, some to other, distant colonies. The chances of them fire (S.436, 34 IPC). We did not find a single resident who being able, given their perilous life situation, to vote are slim. accused any of these four for the fire. The Metropolitan The Election Commission needs to take responsibility for its Magistrate and the Sessions Court have rejected their bail. decision to go ahead with the demolitions during the Election period The cases filed against these eight persons are patently false effectively depriving citizens of the right to exercise their right to and are clearly aimed at terrorizing the local residents. They are vote. also clearly targeted at ending any resistance, however democratic, that may be offered by the local residents. IV. Relocation / Resettlement Recurrent Fires The process of resettlement on the surface might to Two fires on 12 April and again on 18 April have destroyed a the uninformed simply imply a shift of residence. But for large number of houses. The first fire occurred in an area where thousands the entire process of displacement and relocation most houses are built of brick and mortar and have not witnessed means a losing proposition, a loss of residence and regular fires. The initial fire was doused by the residents. However livelihood with nothing whatsoever to replace it. The end some time later, it erupted simultaneously from 3-4 different spots. result is impoverishment, destitution and finally migration These happenings suggest that the fires were not accidental. As to other places for many who had migrated to Delhi years mentioned above, police was felt to be directly responsible for at either in search of a settled existence and made it their least one of the fires. Police was also responsible for delaying the home The factors which contribute to this process include fire tenders from entering the colony. Two lives were lost. The exclusion from lists of those found eligible for relocation, fire on 18 April occurred at night but while there was no loss of displacement before relocation, demolitions and lack of life, a much larger number of houses were destroyed.
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