In the shadow of the city they helped build, the residents of Rajokari Pahadi Basti – mostly stone miners, who were once the backbone of Delhi’s infrastructure, and their descendants – face eviction by the Forestry Department, without an alternative home in sight.
Located on the south-western edge of Delhi near Gurugram, Rajokari Pahadi Basti stretches across a tall forest, flanked by deep pits, watering the remains of mining. In the 1950s, it was part of the Aravali stone quarry belt.
Between 14 and 19 August 2024, residents of the Rajokari Pahadi cluster, including Kholi Wala Baba Mandir (Ramdev Dera), Jhuggies Kewal Krishan Chowk (KK Camp), and Raam Dev ka Dera (BSS Camp), received demolition notices from the Forest. Department.
The drive is being done in line with the directions issued by the National Green Tribunal in January 2021 to remove encroachment in forest areas.
Before the 1,200 households in the slum cluster could seek legal help, the Forest Department arrived with an earth-moving machine on August 19. “It was Raksha Bandhan, and many people were at home. We were shocked to see it. We stood together, and finally the machine left,” recalled Mr. Budhram, a resident of Basti.
He immediately sought relief from the Delhi High Court. On August 23, the court issued a temporary stay on the proposed demolition.
Rehabilitation worries
The residents said they had been living in the area for a long time and were entitled to protection under the Delhi Urban Improvement Act (DUSIB), as their houses were included in the JJ’s list of 675 slums. In addition, he insisted that he had the right to receive alternative housing before being forcibly evicted.
During the August 23 hearing, counsel for DUSIB said the petitioners “appear” to be part of an identified group reported by the agency. However, the latter stated that currently, there is no land available for rehabilitation.
Home for decades
Rotan Lal, a resident of Basti who used to work as a stone breaker, said, “Most of the residents here have proof of residence, such as ration cards, electricity bills, Voter ID cards, and Aadhaar cards. Some people have it too jhuggi token issued in 1990 by the Delhi administration. He said that in 1968, his ancestors had migrated to Delhi in search of opportunities in the huge stone quarries that once dominated the area. “For years, they worked so hard, many of them died from silicosis, a lung disease caused by prolonged exposure to mining dust,” he said. In May 1992, the Supreme Court, in a landmark judgment in the MC Mehta case, permanently banned stone-crushing operations due to their role in exacerbating the Capital’s air pollution. “When mining was declared illegal, the workers had no choice but to opt for other types of labour. Rajokari Pahadi residents took up various odd jobs in nearby Vasant Kunj, which saw rapid development in the 1990s. Many men worked as security guards , drivers, and cooks, while women started working as housekeepers,” said Mr. Budhram.
‘Not a criminal’
While the Forest Department asserted that the family was occupying the forest land illegally, Satpal, another resident who once worked as a stone breaker, disputed the claim. “How did we trespass? We have been living here before the area was declared a forest land,” he said.
“Ridge’s news about the area came in 1994. Before that, no Forest Department official had come here for a survey,” said Mr. Satpal.
“Now we are illiterate and do not know what the consequences are. Pehle roti hi chinta thi, hum pattar todhne bae(Now our only concern is bread; after all, we are stone breakers),” said Mr. Satpal.
Another resident said, “If you check the DUSIB records, you will find that earlier there were around 1,725 families in Basti. Now, it has reduced to 1,200, about 7,000 people. If we are the pioneers, as we claim, then we will expand our footprint in the region, which has not happened yet.
Pinning hope on the Supreme Court
He said residents should be protected from demolition until rehabilitation is done under the 2015 DUSIB policy, also called the Mukhya Mantri Awaas Yojna. He is expected to appear in the Supreme Court, which is scheduled to take up the case again on September 23.
“The government should not evict us by force. We have been living here for decades. Our children study in nearby schools, and any eviction will affect their schools,” said Mr. Satpal.
“Rojgar hata diya, ab ghar hata rahe hai. Humne is sehar ko banaya hai. what is this? (First they took our work every day, now they take our house. We are the ones who made this city, this is not fair),” said Mr. Satpal.
Published – 09 September 2024 01:02 IST
