Roti, Kapda, and No Makaan- Plight of the Sarojini Nagar slum dwellers
“What do we plan? Our minds have stopped working, where we do go? We live with families; our children have their board exams approaching. It is a big problem in front of us. Asmaan tut pada hai humare sar pe,” said Manoj who lives in the Sarojini Nagar slum area since 1976 upon asking about the recent eviction order of Supreme Court.
On May 01, 2023, The SC granted permission to evict the 136 slum families from the Sarojini Nagar slum area. The move comes after almost one year, when a stay order was issued on the eviction in April 2022. The government was asked to act on humane grounds. Although the stay order came as a big relief for the slum dwellers but this was a bullet that could not be dodged.
Sarojini Nagar is one of the most happening places in Delhi which attracts about 80-90,000 people every day. From the bustling clothing shops, to the street food vendors, from antique jewelleries to modern footwears, Sarojini Nagar is the shopping hotspot for all Delhiites known popularly for its extremely cheap prices. But as it is known “All that glitters is not gold.” Amid the dazzling alleyways exists a dark corner of the slum area where people working in the market reside. While one shops and goes back home happily, these families are at the brink of losing their homes.
Delhi is a place which welcomes hundreds of thousands of people from all over the country and beyond. People from remote villages come here for better work opportunities, educational facilities and an improved standard of living. Not everyone’s stars are bright enough to achieve these goals. “Someone is from Uttar Pradesh, someone is from Rajasthan, all of us came from different places in search of work and settled in the jhuggis. I am an ironer and hardly earn enough to get two square meals for my family of three,” sighs Manoj.
According to the SC order, all the 136 families are to vacate until May 31 but these families have no plan in front of them. “We have been working here for more than 40-50 years, we have families, we have children studying in government schools here, now this sudden notice has snatched away our sleep.” adds Manoj.
The court order states, “In the interest of justice, on vacating the area on or before May 31, 2023, Land and Development Office (L&DO) will pay a sum of ₹3 lakh to each of the 136 families.” While earlier, talks of rehabilitation were also doing the rounds but now only compensation will be given to the slum dwellers. People residing in the slum say that Delhi is such an expensive place and this money won’t do justice to their families. Prasad notes that they have been fighting since a long time for rehabilitation but now after the SC judgement nothing more can be done and they have to vacate the place.
Suresh, a gollgappa vendor in Sarojini Nagar lives in a dingy jhopdi with his wife’s saree making up for a door curtain. Drainage water flowing just beside their bamboo walls. His two children Mansi and Dinesh (names changed) running around the house in their unkempt clothes are oblivious to the fact that they would have to move out from their humble abode very soon. “Every now and then some people used to come and threaten us to leave this area.” said Suresh. He noted that they were not authorised people but some mischief creators. “Anyway, I knew that we have to go, they won’t give us any relocation” Suresh adds further. Suresh has now gone back to his village and is hoping to come back soon.
The slum dwellers who are left behind sit together everyday and share their pain and agony in vain. Based on their lawyers advise, some people of the slum have filed a review petition but in vain. “Think of the pain of a bird whose nest gets destroyed. Days go on without food, no one can fathom the pain of the poor,” said one of the slum dwellers on the condition of anonymity.
Sarla Devi who hails from Rajasthan used to live constant fear of eviction but now the worst of her dreams has come true. She has been selling earrings in the Sarojini Nagar market for about 40-50 years. She also helped her husband in painting work a few years back. This eviction for her is not only the loss of a home but a loss of livelihood coupled with uncertainty in this big city.
Amongst these 136 families, there are many children for whom this decision has brought a havoc in their school schedule. “My child’s studies have been disrupted, I dreamed of making my son a big officer who’ll help his parents to come out of this vicious circle of poverty but I don’t know if that would be possible anymore.” says Kamlesh, tea seller.
The 2015 Delhi slum rehabilitation policy states that any new slums that emerge in the capital after January 1, 2015, may be removed without the provision of rehabilitation. A lot of the construction work and beautification process is being undertaken by the National Buildings Construction Corporation Limited (NBCC) in and around the Sarojini Nagar market area. Prasad notes that the company has earlier relocated some slum dwellers so that their work can happen smoothly but that was temporary and a permanent relocation was the primary demand of the slum dwellers. While Nand Kishore Ram, general manager of NBCC refused to talk to the correspondent hence, question of proper rehabilitation remains unanswered.
As of today, after almost one month since the order saw the light of the day, most of the families have had to uproot themselves in search of a new abode. Many have gone to their relatives; some have relocated to villages and some are still sitting on the road in search of a solution. All the slum dwellers have received the promised amount in their bank accounts but the real question is whether this money is enough to start a new life? “I personally requested the authorities to give us a source of livelihood, we are ready to give up the land for development but what about our lives?” added Manoj.
Amidst the dark clouds, a thin ray of hope is the government’s response to the appeal of the slum dwellers. While the livelihood and habitation of so many families remain at stake, it is only the hope and prayers that act as the last resort. “It is our only hope. We are all labourers who earn a meagre amount and our biggest question is ‘Where do we go?’” noted Manoj.
