The Ujjain Municipal Corporation carried out a demolition drive in Medina Colony on 18th of October earlier this year. The demolition drive was reportedly carried out to raze down the illegal encroachment on government land, including the graveyard.
The drive reportedly aimed to reclaim government land that had been occupied illegally for many years.
“This demolition drive is being carried out against illegal encroachment on government land. 51 illegally constructed houses are being demolished. The entire team of the Municipal Corporation and the administration is present here,” Ujjain Municipal Corporation Deputy Commissioner Kritika Bhimawat said and the news agency Asian News International ( ANI) reported.
Approximately 90 houses including the shops were razed down to the ground in the presence of police and the entire team of Municipal Corporation.
ADM Anukul Jain said and the Live Hindustan reported that the district administration has taken bulldozer action to remove the encroachment on the land of about 3 hectares of survey number 739/123467. The team of Municipal Corporation, District Administration and Police was also involved in this. About 80 families had illegally occupied this place.
A total of 120 people including 1 Additional SP, 2 DSPs, TIs of 6 police stations, 10 sub-inspectors, 25 women police force were involved in the action.
In the midst of the bulldozer sounds, smoke of dust, and rubbles of properties, the residents of Medina Colony have a different narrative to build. A month has passed but the family still struggles with the aftermath.
“They flung the papers at me and told me that papers won’t be considered here”
Janab Khan (45) a welder is one of the survivors of Ujjain’s demolition drive. While talking to FoEJ Media, Khan recounted the incident that turned his life upside down. On 18th of October, khan following his usual routine happily went to his work but a call from an acquaintance erased his happiness within a second. Khan was told that his house is being bulldozed.
“I received a call and was told that your house is being demolished,” Khan said.
Khan rushed to protect his home and possessions, only to find that a bulldozer had already begun demolishing his property and had turned his belongings into rubble.
“I ran to try and save my belongings, but more than half of them were destroyed,” Khan said.
On being asked about the legitimacy of the property, Khan told FoEJ Media that he had all the legal papers but no one cared to go through them. His house was demolished without a legal notice.
“They flung the papers at me and told me that papers won’t be considered here,” Khan said.
A month after the demolition, Khan and his family are still without a home. In the absence of alternative housing, he has built a makeshift hut on his land, where they have been living ever since.
“We’ve had no choice but to make a hut to live in; where are we supposed to go? There’s no house available for rent,” Khan said.
“Where can we go with our children? The rent is so high… Should we pay the rent or feed our kids?” Khan added.
Khan further alleged that no one is willing to hear his plea. He visited the collector’s office, but his concerns were ignored.
“There is no hearing at all. I even went to the collector’s office, but no one is listening to me.” He claimed.
FoEJ Media spoke with Parveen Khan (36), the wife of Janab Khan, to learn how she has been coping with daily life in a makeshift hut while caring for her family.
“We are living in a hut in the cold. I have been having a fever for 8 days, and my sons have also caught a fever due to the cold. Where should we go?” Parveen said.
“We are living in a rented house. There is a loss due to the rent, but what can we do?”
Another family that shared their struggles with FoEJ Media following the demolition was Siddique’s (45). He had gone to offer Friday prayers when he received a call from his family informing him about the demolition. He rushed to the house, only to find a bulldozer demolishing his property. He further said that he had all the legal documents but in his case like others, no one cared to go through them.
“No one was willing to look at the papers. They sent a JCB to demolish my house, and nobody was listening to what I had to say,” Siddique said.
In an interview with FoEJ Media, Siddiqui further revealed that he is now living in a rented house, which is putting a heavy financial strain on him. But he is left with no other option than living in a rented house.
“We are living in a rented house. There is a loss due to the rent, but what can we do?” Mohsin said.
In addition to the houses, the demolition drive vandalized and demolished numerous warehouses and shops, leaving families to struggle with poverty. Mohseen (45) is one of the individuals whose warehouse was demolished.
“Hum toh aap ka nuksan karne aaye hain”
Mohsin, a warehouse owner, had his house a kilometer away from the Medina colony which he could save. But unfortunately, during the demolition drive, his only source of income was reduced to rubble. He stated that he had owned the warehouse for 17 years and possessed legal documents, yet the administration proceeded to bulldoze it.
Mohseen told FoEJ Media that he could not bear the shock, he eventually fainted.
“I became unwell; the loss was so overwhelming, I couldn’t bear it. I fainted,” Mohsin said.
“My warehouse was worth 2 crore, and it had goods worth 10 lakh,” Mohsin added.
Mohsin, the sole breadwinner for his family of 17, is now grappling with financial difficulties. To meet daily expenses, he has been forced to take up work at a bakery owned by someone else.
“I am now working in someone else’s bakery. I used to work hard in my warehouse to run my household, but it’s no longer there. Things are really bad now,” Mohsin said.
Mohsin further asserted that he possessed all the necessary legal documents and licenses, but no one bothered to review them. He claimed the administration told him they were there solely to demolish his warehouse.
“Hum toh aap ka nuksan karne aaye hain ( We have come here to cause you loss),” said the administration as claimed by Mohsin.
Other Documents Indicating the Legality of Land
Click Below to learn about recent court ruilings on Bulldozer Justice.
