Post date: Dec 27, 2013 1:23:26 PM
Authorities demolish illegal hutments near a metro station in New Delhi without prior warning, leaving hundreds of aged people, women, children and newborns naked and exposed to the horrors of chilly winter.
NEW DELHI, INDIA (DECEMBER 27, 2013) (ANI) - Authorities in the Indian capital New Delhi demolished illegal hutments near a metro station without prior warning on Thursday (December 26), leaving hundreds of aged people, women, children and newborns naked and exposed to the horrors of chilly winter.
The settlement under the metro line was put up on illegal grounds and on Thursday, a few bulldozers came and mowed down the hutments of hundreds of people living there, leaving them with no roof above their head."They suddenly came and demolished our jhuggis (hutments). There was no prior information. They came with three-four bulldozers and demolished all our huts. They were people from the railway," said a poor and affected man, Sanjeev Kumar on Friday (December 27).
Mothers tried to keep their babies warm and people sat around bonfire, as they tried to stay awake in order to survive the dipping temperatures of the night in the cold capital.
As per reports, the bulldozers clearing the ground off around 165 huts made of plastic and wood rendered more than 900 people homeless.
The police asked the encroachers to clear the place as soon as possible, but the latter remain clueless as to where they would move to.
"Where will go in this winter? We have no other place. Everybody is troubled and has been awake since last night. We have small children and have no place to live. They suddenly came and said move from here or we will beat you up. But where should we go?" said one of the women of the hutments, Meena Devi.
The incident has raised questions of compassion and human interest. One basic question posed by the media is that when these jhuggis had existed for over a decade, why couldn't the people be spared a single month of teeth-chattering cold.
A leader of the regional Aam Aadmi (Common Man) Party, which will be forming government in Delhi on December 28, left to survey the area when heard of the incident.
"To keep the people awake in such cold weather is not fine. We will discuss against this happening," said Sisodia.
Urban cities in India are increasingly getting clustered with small huts, as the population moving from rural to urban areas is growing. Villagers come from their small districts in hope of employment and a better life.
With nowhere to go, these people occupy the little land wherever they can and build make-shift huts.
The biggest challenge that lies before our government is to settle and rehabilitate these people, but most of the times, in a bid to do away with them, the government ends up destroying the settlements, bringing the people on streets.