Anxiety mounts at Vasant Vihar slums as Delhi authority issues eviction notice

The notice has sparked fear of livelihood and uncertainty of their future among residents, who called the process rushed, chaotic and bereft of considering ground realities

Over a thousand families living in a decades-old slum clusters near Vasant Vihar received a scare on Monday after the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) issued eviction notices to over a thousand families, asking them to vacate their homes by September 11. Public notices pasted at the narrow lanes of Bhanwar Singh Camp and Nepali Camp warned that demolition drives had been scheduled for September 12 and 13, in line with a Delhi High Court order to clear “unauthorised” structures.

DDA officials verify documents of residents of the slum clusters. (Vipin Kumar/HT Photo)

By Tuesday evening, however, the order was put on hold.

Citing the “existing weather condition in the Capital,” DDA announced that demolition plans had been put in abeyance. It also clarified that the notices applied only to “newly constructed illegal and mostly commercial structures.”

The sudden reversal eased panic but left residents uncertain about their future.

The DDA had issued warning notices on August 28 while another public notice was sent out on September 1, seeking documents for rehabilitation from residents of the entire camp.

The camp residents have been anxious over the last five days with latest notices on Monday, further adding to uncertainty. The new notice was pasted on the entrance of the camp with a list of 789 residents eligible for rehabilitation under the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB) policy. Camp residents gathered in the narrow lane all through the day to check if their names have been mentioned in the list. A team of DDA officials has also been appointed and sent to the NGO Prayas compound for collecting documents from remaining families.

The notices had thrown the settlements into turmoil. For many, the prospect of eviction was not just about losing a roof but also about losing livelihoods tied to the neighbourhood.

“My employers are out of town, and I’ve been asked to vacate in 10 days. It’s pouring in Delhi — is this the time to throw us out?” asked Ramwati Tarachand, 50, a domestic worker who has been cleaning houses in adjoining Vasant Vihar for over two decades. “We raised our children here. Now, they say we are illegal. Why do they hate us all of a sudden?”

“I came here in 1989. Back then, half of Vasant Vihar was empty plots and single-storey homes. I helped build many of them as a labourer,” said Madan Lal Verma 59, who owns a small grocery store. “Now they call us illegal. If DDA is serious, they should give us a few months to find new homes — not 12 days — and not in the middle of heavy rains.”

HT spoke to families before the eviction order was put on hold.

The fear of displacement weighed especially heavily on families with school-going children.

“My daughter studies in Arya Samaj School and my son in DAV. If we are pushed into a night shelter, how will they attend classes?” asked Preeti, 30, a domestic worker. “It’s like snatching away their future.”

Anjali, 23, who sends her two children to private schools, echoed the worry: “They’re too small to live in night shelters. Moving away now will ruin their year.”

DDA’s public notice in the morning had directed residents to night shelters in RK Puram and Dwarka if forced to vacate, further heightening fears of families being uprooted.

Displacement fears

Many said the fear of being rendered homeless is particularly acute for those who have young children and the elderly are involved.

Spread along the slopes of the Aravalis, the camps are more than temporary shelters. They have evolved into communities with lanes of shops, temples, and even an Ayushman Arogya Mandir inaugurated recently. Residents work as labourers, taxi drivers, domestic workers and even in government jobs.

The settlement’s history dates back decades. The Bhanwar Singh Camp is named after a contractor who first encouraged labourers to build huts on the site.

“This neem tree is older than the DDA flats,” pointed out Rekha Kanwar, daughter-in-law of the late Bhanwar Singh, whose family still lives in the first house built here. “The Aravali Park and the flats came later. The authorities watched all this grow for years. Why are we being called illegal now? Many of these regulations have come up after the camp was set up?”

Documentation issues

Alongside the demolition notices, residents have been told to submit documents by September 9 to prove their eligibility for rehabilitation. DDA’s survey last year had identified 789 households; others have been asked to submit Aadhaar, voter IDs, ration cards, and other papers at a local NGO’s office, where officials are stationed.

But for daily-wage earners and house helps, the documentation drive is another source of hardship. “I’ve been told to bring documents by 11am tomorrow. That means skipping work — and my employers won’t pay for a missed day,” said Sheetal, 29, a domestic help. “We’re losing money just trying to prove we exist.”

DDA officials on site, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the documentation process will continue until September 9, and only eligible residents will be considered under the rehabilitation policy.

When asked about the situation, DDA in an official statement said that 39 newly constructed illegal and mostly commercial structures, not covered under provisions of the National Capital Territory of Delhi Laws (Special Provisions) Second Act, 2011, have been served eviction notice.

“The notice itself has provisions for temporary shelter. Moreover, it is their ineligibility for rehabilitation under the Act and the Delhi Slum and JJ Rehabilitation and Relocation Policy, 2015 of DUSIB, that has resulted in the aforementioned directions of the High Court,” the statement added.

Despite the pause, fear persists. Residents worry that once the rains subside, the demolition drive could resume.

Vasant Vihar residents’ welfare association refused to comment on the matter. A resident, on condition of anonymity, said that in 2018, the camps were found to be located on forest land and needed to be relocated.

Civil society groups and urban planners have long argued that demolitions without comprehensive rehabilitation plans violate fundamental rights to housing, livelihood, and education. The Delhi government has previously stated that no slums would be removed without alternative accommodation, but officials from CM Rekha Gupta’s office maintained that the matter “pertains to the DDA.”

Officials with CM Rekha Gupta’s office said that the matter pertains to the DDD.

The LG’s office did not respond to requests for comment.