Labourers left out in cold as shanties near Roshanara Club demolished
Anil Mandal, a daily wage labourer, is left out in the cold, literally, to survive the unforgiving winter with his shanty near Roshanara Club razed.
Monday saw the temperature plummet to 6.6 degrees Celsius — the year's coldest so far. He and his family of five are among at least 100 people who lost their homes when the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) demolished around 50-60 shanties near the Roshanara Club on January 2.
Mandal said the bulldozers were at work by around 11 am. “This is one of the coldest winters, and we are homeless. I have three children and elderly parents. The rent around the area is more than what I make in a month,” he said. He said authorities have given an ultimatum to the residents to vacate the land by January 6.
Most of the homeless still squat on the land with their belongings by the wreckage of what once was their home.
“Authorities asked whether we wanted to be shifted to homeless shelters. But we can’t take our belongings there,” he said.
He said his father sells flowers for a living, and they can’t move lock, stock, and barrel at the moment.
Residents said that the JJ cluster consisted mostly of migrant daily-wage labourers and florists who rely solely on procuring and selling plants from the nearby nursery.
Pramod Kumar, who hails from Chapra, Bihar, said authorities used force while dismantling the jhuggis, and many residents have found refuge in nearby areas.
“Those who have relatives nearby have shifted there, remaining are either looking for rented rooms or still suffering in the cold,” Kumar said. Rajnish (who goes by the single name), another florist who hails from Unnao, Uttar Pradesh, said that on top of being homeless, they are now about to lose their plants and pots.
“We don’t have much savings, and now there is no roof over our heads. If we don’t get any accommodation, our plants will be destroyed,” he said.
When contacted, DDA did not respond to the queries.
