Mohammad Usman, now 65, moved into Batla House’s Kharsa No. 279 when he was a child. The house - where he has grown old - is not at a risk of being demolished after the neighbourhood received an eviction notice from Delhi’s Development Authority on May 26.
As per Supreme Court’s order, the locality falls outside the purview of the PM-UDAY scheme, and therefore is considered to be illegal. However, residents claim that they possess the legal property documents. They are given 15 days to vacate their homes.
“The demolition program shall be carried out from 11-06-2025 (Wednesday) without any further notice,” the eviction notice stated.
The Supreme Court on May 29 agreed to hear an application filed by 40 people against the demolition notices next week.
Residents of this Muslim-dominated neighborhood are in panic, confused by the sudden and, according to them, first-time notice served without prior warning. “My parents bought this house with every penny they had. Where are we supposed to go?” Usman asked.
Reporter: Ainnie Arif Camera: Tribhuvan Tiwari Editor: Madiha Shakeel
