The banks of the Yamuna on Delhi’s Vikas Marg, not far from the police headquarters and government offices, has for decades provided a place to live for the poor who have nowhere else to go. Sometimes the area is hit by floods and the water is always polluted. About 40 families have been living here despite these struggles – but soon may not be able to anymore.
Raju Pal, in his 40s, was born in this slum. He says at the time, there were around 200 families living in the settlement and it was growing. Over the years, the flooding has increased – it was especially bad in 1999, when him and other residents had to squat along the Vikas Marg for weeks till the water level receded. Even after that, the fear for snakes and other small animals remained a threat and many were victims of snake bites.
Then came the Commonwealth Games in 2010 and their homes were razed. Many of the families had to leave their homes and were advised to return to their villages. This was a more serious problem for those who had been born in the area and had no village to go back to. Pal says him and his family managed for a year in neighbouring Uttar Pradesh, again along the banks of Yamuna, and then they came back to Delhi.
With the forthcoming G20 meeting in New Delhi, the government is trying to give a new look to the capital. Authorities like the DDA and the municipal corporations are trying to beautify any open space. In this process, like at the time of the Commonwealth Games, the authorities have given notice to these 40 families to leave their homes immediately, without specifying by when they must leave.
A person living in the area who wanted to be anonymous to The Wire that they knew the eviction could take place any time now. On being asked where they will go, they had no answer. “Most of us are daily-wage workers and do odd jobs, so either we take a day off to look for a place to stay and waste the day’s earnings, or we work till the bulldozers arrive,” the person said.
One of the 40 families who have been told they will be evicted. Photo: Shome Basu
A hawker on his way to the nearby roads to make a living. Photo: Shome Basu
A horse trainer who rents out the animal for weddings in Delhi-NCR. Photo: Shome Basu
Camels live in the area and are used for many entertainment programmes in Delhi-NCR. Photo: Shome Basu
A family loads their belongings on a cart in case the bulldozers arrive. Photo: Shome Basu
Many of the families who are facing eviction have children. Photo: Shome Basu
A makeshift school run by students from Zakir Hussain College, Delhi University. Photo: Shome Basu
A PWD store house in the area. Photo: Shome Basu
Raju Pal has been staying along the river on Vikas Marg since the early 1990s. Photo: Shome Basu
A family that lives along the Yamuna. Photo: Shome Basu
The polluted, smelly Yamuna flowing through Delhi. Photo: Shome Basu
This young man, a daily wage worker, was born in the area. Photo: Shome Basu
