Daijiworld Media Network – New Delhi

New Delhi, Nov 4: Dozens of families living just a few kilometres away from the Prime Minister’s residence are staring at an uncertain future this winter after receiving eviction and rehabilitation notices from the Land and Development Office (L&DO) under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.

In the DID Camp along Lok Kalyan Marg (formerly Race Course Road), 65-year-old Rooplal lies bedridden on a mattress, wrapped in a blanket. “How can we leave our homes in this cold? I came here with my father when I was a child,” says the elderly resident, who has been immobile for eight years.

The camp, home to around 90 families, received notices on October 29 directing residents to vacate within 15 days. The eviction order cited the dwellers as illegal occupants of government land and said they do not qualify for alternate housing under the existing rehabilitation scheme.

Alongside, a rehabilitation notice stated that suitable accommodation had been allotted at the DUSIB Colony in Savda Ghevra, nearly 40 km away. Lists pasted at the camp identify residents as “eligible” or “ineligible,” with reasons ranging from missing voter records between 2012–2015 to lack of valid documents or sale of the original jhuggi.

Rooplal’s family has been found eligible, but his wife Asha says moving is impossible. “My husband is under treatment at Safdarjung Hospital. The new place is too far. We cannot manage that,” she said.

Nearby clusters Bhai Ram Camp and Masjid Camp have also received similar notices. Many of the residents here work as horse trainers, labourers, or caretakers at the Race Course and Jaipur Polo Grounds.

Krishna Kumar, another resident, said locals had met Delhi Minister and area MLA Parvesh Sahib Singh seeking help. “He told us not to worry, that he spoke to officials. But nothing has changed yet,” he said.

At Bhai Ram Camp, lists of eligible and ineligible families are displayed at the entrance. Residents said about 70 to 80 homes stand there. One resident, Samuel Raical (51), who was born in the camp, claimed that the flats offered in Savda Ghevra are unfit for living. “I saw them myself — they’re incomplete and not ready,” he said.

The cluster’s pradhan said residents had requested relocation within a 7-km radius, adding, “This isn’t the first notice, but it’s the first with a strict deadline.”

Across the road, Masjid Camp houses around 50 families, many of whom live on rent. “We pay Rs 6,000–7,000 monthly. Since our names aren’t on the official list, we get no benefit,” said a woman whose husband works as a labourer.

Officials from L&DO and DDA did not comment on the matter. However, a senior government source said that most jhuggi clusters in Delhi are being surveyed, particularly those on government or high-security land. “The plan is to introduce a policy ensuring rehabilitation within 2–3 km, but for now, eviction from VVIP zones will proceed,” the official said.

As the winter chill sets in, uncertainty looms large for these families caught between eviction orders and promises of rehabilitation far from the only homes they’ve ever known.