JOIN AND SUPPORT

INDEFINITE PROTEST AGAINST DDA 

SYSTEMATIC DENIAL OF LAND TO EVICTEES

ORGANIZED BY BAWANA SANGHARSH SAMITI

MONDAY 22 APRIL 2012, Lt. Governor's Office, RAJNIWAS near KASHMERE GATE, DELHI

11 AM ONWARDS

TO DEMAND IMMEDIATE ALLOTMENT OF PLOTS TO EVICTEES FROM SAWAN PARK, ASHOK VIHAR,VIKASPURI, PASCHIM VIHAR, BANNUWAL NAGAR, PRAGATI MARKET, ETC. WHO WERE EVICTED 2004 ONWARDS AND DENIED RESETTLEMENT

In the name of "beautification of the city thousands of homes were demolished just before the Commonwealth Games in Delhi. The Games brought no glory to the country, only murky deals were exposed which continue to plague the city and have left lakhs homeless. Between 2002 and 2006, people were forcibly evicted from places like Sawan Park, Ashok Vihar, Vikaspuri, Paschim Vihar, Banuwal Nagar, Pragati Market, and Yamuuna Pushta. Few were given alternative plots. Thus, only 9,000 out of 35,000 families evicted from the Pushta were ever resettled, the rest were all deemed to be "ineligible".

Behind this "ineligibility" lies the story of the arbitrary and ad-hoc behavior of the DDA officials who conducted the surveys and continuously flouted the DDA policy to violate the rights of the evicted families to resettlement. Thousands, who could not afford the cost of pleasing these officials, were declared to be 'absent' or on 'rental' or running 'commercial' units or not having the required documents before the cut-off dates. Many of these families have followed their more fortunate neighbours to Bawana Resettlement Colony on the outskirts of the city, because they had nowhere else to go.

Since 2006 the Bawana Sangharsh Samiti has been representing the rights of these families before the DDA authorities and the Lt Governor (as Chairman DDA) and, after a long struggle over 6 years, managed to obtain an order from the LG in March 2012 declaring that the DDA survey must be deemed to be faulty and anyone who possesses the requisite documents has the right to resettlement. This has offered hope to many thousands of families that they will eventually receive justice. But for over a year the DDA officials have resisted following the order of the LG on the pretext that it is "against" the DDA policy and will lead to opening the floodgates to claims for resettlement.

That deliberate delay has led to this Friday when 800 of these families have lost their loved ones and everything they possessed in the devastating fire that broke out in Bawana aqnd took 35 fire engines over two hours to put out. The Bawana Sangharsh Samiti demands that compensation must be paid for the years of delay in delivering justice for which people have borne the costs. The Samiti also demands that those responsible for the delay must be held accountable and the LG's orders immediately implemented. For this purpose, the Samiti declares an  indefinite protest at the LG office on Monday, April 22.

Police brutality and ruthless action are on the rise again in the city with recent evictions in R K Puram, Alaknanda, Kidwai Nagar, Ravidas Camp, and the threat of demolition hangs over many other settlements where similar unjust and arbitrary "surveys" have been carried  out for a "slum-free" city. The Bawana Sangharsh Samiti calls upon all those who are facing an uncertain future and all defenders of human rights to join in the protest. Let us collectively support the right to shelter and livelihoods of all those who build and service the city, but are never recognised nor repaid for their invaluable contribution.

Please share widely.

Thank you

Regards,

Umesh Singh (Bawana Sangharsh Samiti) – 7428945418

Devraj ( Bawana Sangharsh Samiti ) – 9873403499

Sunayana ( Hazards Centre) – 9911550840