New Delhi: In her mid-50s, Poonam Kashyap was busy ensuring that all her household belongings were packed as she prepared to leave her single-room home in Yamuna Bazar, where she claims to have lived for the past 35 years.Residents in the area said they received a final warning from authorities late Friday night to vacate their homes ahead of a proposed demolition drive scheduled for Monday morning. However, no official confirmation could be obtained from Delhi Development Authority (DDA) about the drive.“I hoped that govt would provide us with alternative accommodation, but not even a single assurance came from its side,” rued Kashyap, whose livelihood depends on selling dough balls for feeding fish. “My husband and one son have passed away. I have managed to find a rented accommodation in nearby Shastri Nagar, where my two other sons live with their families. But I do not know how I will pay the monthly rent of Rs 5,500.”By Saturday evening, TOI found most residents were packing their belongings, having lost hope of receiving any further extension.“My biggest worry is my grandchildren, who study at Victoria Girls’ Senior Secondary School. How will they commute every day? This will add to our family’s expenses,” Kashyap said, standing with her daughter-in-law. She also contributes to the upkeep of temples in the area.The eviction drive is part of a larger initiative to remove encroachments and restore the nearly four-hectare Yamuna Bazar ghat. Some residents had moved court seeking relief, but their petitions were dismissed. Around 1,150 people live in approximately 310 residential units across the ghat area.Mithlesh, who moved to Yamuna Bazar from Bulandshahr nearly 40 years ago, struggled to hold back tears. “We were used as voters all these years, and now we are suddenly being asked to leave. With our limited savings, we built this one-room structure. If these homes were obstructing the city’s development, why were we given electricity connections and voter identity cards?” she asked.Santosh appeared resigned to the situation. “Nothing can be done now. We lost in court because people were divided,” he said while packing clothes and household items into suitcases and sacks.Eviction notices were pasted on several homes. One notice, issued on May 13 by the chief executive officer of Delhi Disaster Management Authority, stated that the “illegal encroachment along the banks of the Yamuna falls in O zone and inundated during floods every year, posing a serious threat to human life, cattle and property”. It directed residents to voluntarily leave with their belongings within the stipulated period.
