Skip to main content

JAN SANGHARSH VAHINI'S CAMPAIGN FOR INFORMAL HOUSING RIGHTS IN DELHI

This is an excerpt from a letter from "Jan Sangharsh Vahini":

"Thousands displaced in Delhi by the demolition squad of DDAOn May 3rd, 2007 DDA's demolition squad along with a large number of policemen and three bulldozers came to demolish Shayam Colony, Buddha Vihar in Rohini area of Northwest Delhi. Before the residents could understand anything, police started canning people and DDA's bulldozers began to demolish House no 512A in the Gali Number 23 of Mr Rajit Prasad.

It looked as if the locality has been invaded by some enemies of the nation. The cries of young men, women, older people, children meant nothing for the goons in khaki.

The land was purchased by the people of the colony from the colonisers, many of whom have turned to politics today. They not only got their power of attorney papers verified by the registrar's office as well as Noteries acknowledged by the government authorities.

The people of the colony begged the authorities to give them some time and allow them to take legal recourse, yet the brutal and insensitive officials did not budge and demolished more than 187 houses of colony.

Anyone who tried to question their motives and action face brutality. Police beat every one who came in between to lodge his/her protest. Even women and children were not spared.Police had sealed off the entire area from all the sides. The local MLA and Nigam Parshad were unable to enter the area.

The colony was in the list of regularisation of the colonies in 1993. Even in February 2007 when the government decided to regularise 1500 colonies, this was one of them.

Over 1140 people are living under the open sky. There is no arrangement by any agency leave alone the government. On may 6th, it rained heavily and the makeshift tents were wiped away in the thunderstorm. People had to face a lot of hardship as they are living in virtually no protection,. Children roam around in open. There is no place for defacation. No place to take bath. Many of the people are taking bath in four five days."

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Architecture for the Poor - Hassan Fathy

Hassan Fathy was a remarkable man: artist, antiquarian and social reformer to the world's poor. He was slightly built and enveloped by an air of virtuousness, projecting the intellectual vigour, tranquillity and inner calm reserved for the elect. These qualities, accompanied by a twinkle in his eye and a willingness to listen, made him a favourite of students, who responded to him with warmth and humour, and vied for his attention. Fathy's architectural and social ideas were based at first upon his colonial education, and only later moulded by a deep knowledge of his country's long history and in particular its architecture, which had often been controlled by mathematics and mystical geometries. Six general principles guided him throughout his career: the primacy of human values in architecture; the importance of a universal approach; the use of appropriate technology; the need for socially oriented, co-operative construction techniques; the essential role of tradition; and...
Post a Comment
Read more

Delhi BRT Debate

This is a very interesting debate about the BRT (Bus Rapid Transit) System in Delhi. The BRT was launched in Delhi in 2008, and has been surrounded with controversies and hurdles right from the beginning - from accidents to inefficient use of the limited road space. In fact, BRT has been implemented in various cities around the world, and has many variations in the way it is implemented, with varying degrees of success (and failure). There is no single BRT formula that can be applied to all cities. And especially, looking at the unique traffic conditions of India, an equally unique BRT System will have to be thought out, along with an effective traffic management system. One thing definitely comes to light is that in a fast developing India, though there is a need to have a strong and effective public transport system, the needs of the private vehicles cannot be ignored totally. Also, I strongly believe that the issue of traffic and transportation should not (and cannot) be addr...
Post a Comment
Read more

Layermag

This is one of the few web-sites dedicated to South Asian architecture and architects. Though in it's nascent stages of development, I think it holds the potential to be the spearhead of an oncoming change. Web-sites and resources like these are quite necessary and useful to make people aware about contemporary and future movements in the South Asian region. "LAYER finds its roots in diversity. It was born out of a common desire to launch a platform for interaction, exposure and participation of South Asian designers, at all stages to experience and share their ideologies, which will help evolve the present status quo. LAYER indulges in all aspects of design and art. The nature of exhibitions, curational strategies and publications, demands new interrogation and reconsideration. This is fueled by the fact that in recent years, worlds of art, architecture and design have outgrown their modes of representation and production, and have started to cannibalize neighboring discip...
Post a Comment
Read more