Many New Delhi slums disappear ahead of G20 summit
STORY: Residents of this slum in New Delhi expected to benefit from the G20 summit being held barely 500 yards from their homes.
Instead they were made homeless.
Khushboo Devi, her husband and three children were among scores of people whose houses in Janta Camp were demolished over the past few months.
"We have been living here for the last 25-30 years, where do we go now that our houses have suddenly been demolished? We have no facilities or a place to live and we have become homeless and are on the road. I hope the authorities get sick and die and they will be cursed by the poor."
Some of those living in the slum approached the Delhi High court to stop the evictions but the court ruled the settlements illegal. Then city authorities ordered them to vacate by May 31.
Both activists and residents, like Devi, say it’s part of the beautification work for the summit beginning on September 9.
"The authorities have asked us to vacate the slum because of the G20 and they have to clean this area. If they have to clean, that does not mean they remove the poor. If the poor are looking so bad, they can make something nice, put a curtain or a sheet so that the poor are not visible."
However Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government officials say the houses were built illegally on government land and their removal “is a continuous activity”.
The demolition started four months ago.
A junior housing minister said that by July, almost 230 acres of government land had been reclaimed.
These houses in slums like Janta Camp are built over years, like patchwork.
In 2021, officials said that 13.5 million people reside in unauthorized colonies in Delhi.
Most of the residents work in nearby areas and have lived within the confines of their small homes for decades.
For Devi’s husband Dharmendra Kumar, uprooting has a severe impact.
"I don’t earn so much that I can afford to rent a room elsewhere. And if we relocate from here, my children’s education will also suffer. Here they are able to study as the school is nearby."
India's Supreme Court ruled last month that squatters cannot claim the right to occupy public land.
It said that at best, they can seek time to vacate the public land and apply for rehabilitation.
