On a curve of the Yamuna, shadowed by the massive pillars of the Delhi–Mumbai Expressway, a dense settlement of jhuggis stretches along the floodplain, in which sits Neelam Devi; behind her is a small house, the wall of which peels off yellow and green paint. The air around her smells of pain and anguish, loss and uncertainty for her house; her happy dwelling is set to be razed down likely today.
Neelam is among hundreds of families who have received eviction notices issued by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) for settlements in the O-Zone, along with another order from the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) covering around 310 dwellings in Yamuna Bazaar, direct residents to vacate their homes within 15 days. The notices warn that demolition drives will be carried out to remove the alleged encroachments.
The notice, for Neelam, arrives with a pang of anxiety. “Where will I go? Where will I settle?” she says talking to FoEJ Media. Anger also spawns when she thinks about the notice, as she envisioned a “pakka house” after the victory of CM Rekha Gupta, ahead of her statements resonating the slogans “Jaha Jhuggi, Waha Makaan.”
“When they want votes, these people in the government fold their hands before us, put garlands around our necks, call us their mothers and daughters, and tell us to come to them whenever we face any problem,” Neelam says, talking to FoEJ Media in a palpably frustrated voice.
“After all, it is poor people like us who make them win elections,” she adds, her voice reverberating with anger.
“When I found out about demolition, it felt like such a shock to my heart; I felt as if I might have a heart attack.” Neelam tells FoEJ Media, mirroring the sorrow of hundreds like her.
“I do not want my house to be demolished.” she says
“I have stopped eating and drinking properly; since the notice came, even my hunger has gone.” Neelam adds, with emotions breaking her voice.
A few steps away from her sits Sneha, a high school student, worried about her upcoming exams and her future.
“My studies are being affected a lot. If I move from here to somewhere else, my school will be far from here; then what will I do?” she says, talking to FoEJ Media.
“My dream is to become an IPS officer. I am worried whether I will still be able to achieve it or not.” she adds
Moving further, Sneha enunciates the suffering of her neighbors; she says, talking to FoEJ Media, “Everyone around me is very worried. Our families are also very sad. Where will we go? My father does not even earn enough for us to relocate.”
“We will end up on the streets. Where will we go?” she adds.
Most of the people who have received notice survive on informal jobs including temple services, barber shops, boat operations, food carts and daily wage labour, with fragile economic stability. The notice has forced them to loom in uncertainty.
“Rekha Gupta had come and said that they would turn our jhuggis into proper houses, but here our jhuggis are being demolished instead.” Senha reverberates the same statement as Neelam.
Meanwhile, for Sanjay Kumar Singh, the move is oppression and cruelty. Calling the eviction “atyachaar,” he says talking to FoEJ Media, “This is oppression. We are poor and small people; let them do this to the powerful first.”
“We have been living here since before the DDA even came into existence,” he adds.
Blending her worry in the already existing pandemonium, another resident, Chanda, laments her pain. “Where will I go? What will I do?” She asks while talking to FOEJ Media.
A while after the question, Chanda disintegrates the sequence of the day the notice emerged.
“People came and entered the house. They asked to show the electricity bill. I asked why, and they said it was for our benefit. Then I gave the bill, and they got me to sign something and handed me the notice.” She tells Foej Media.
“It was in English, so I couldn’t read it. I asked what it was, and they said we have to vacate the house in 15 days.” she adds
“As soon as I heard it, I started crying, thinking, Where will I go and what will I do now… what I am going through, only I or my God truly knows,” she says.
Following the notice, a plea was submitted challenging the eviction notice, which the Delhi High Court on Tuesday dismissed.
The court declined to grant relief, noting that the petition had been filed by the Yamuna Bazar Residents Welfare Association without proper authorization from its members or binding affidavits accepting responsibility for the legal proceedings. Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav also rejected the petitioner’s request to stay the proposed demolition drive for a week.
“In the absence of the authorization, the petition is not maintainable. They are at liberty to file a proper petition with the authorization of the residents.” The Judge said
The Notice
On 7 May 2026, the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) issued eviction notices directing around 310 families in Yamuna Bazar to vacate the floodplain area within 15 days under the Disaster Management Act, 2005. The order identifies the settlement near Nigambodh Ghat in North Delhi as an “illegal encroachment” within the Yamuna floodplain, classified as an O-Zone area under the jurisdiction of the Delhi Development Authority (DDA).
According to the DDMA, the cluster of approximately 310 dwelling units along the Yamuna is inundated almost every year during the monsoon, posing what it described as a “serious threat to human lives, cattle, and property.” The notice warns that failure to comply may result in the demolition of unauthorized structures and eviction without further intimation.
Officials maintain that the low-lying settlement is among the first areas to be submerged during seasonal flooding. The notices further state that recurring floods have necessitated emergency evacuations and temporary rehabilitation efforts in the past, placing additional strain on public resources and the exchequer.
The Yamuna floodplain is designated as a protected, no-construction zone under Delhi’s Master Plan. Authorities have cited directions from the National Green Tribunal (NGT), which has instructed the DDA to remove encroachments from ecologically sensitive stretches of the river.
A Delhi government official said the Yamuna Bazar stretch comprises around 32 ghats and is home to nearly 1,100 residents. However, some other reports and local accounts estimate that close to 2,000 people live in the area, including priests, boatmen, barbers, daily-wage workers, and tenants who depend on the riverfront economy for their livelihood.
