Residents of Bhai Ram Camp, Masjid Camp and DID Colony met the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha on Saturday after gathering at the Congress office on Akbar Road. They asked him to raise their concerns with the authorities and press for rehabilitation closer to the neighbourhood where many families have lived and worked for decades.
The residents said about 717 families would be affected and estimated the population of the three settlements at between 3,000 and 5,000 people. Their figures could not be independently established from the court order, which concerns residents eligible for relocation to accommodation provided by the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board at Savda Ghevra.
Their appeal followed a Delhi High Court order on Tuesday giving residents six weeks to vacate the three clusters and move to the resettlement colony. A division bench of Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia rejected a challenge alleging that the eviction process breached the Delhi Slum and JJ Rehabilitation and Relocation Policy, 2015.
The court, however, stressed that rehabilitation must be meaningful and protect the residents’ right to live with human dignity under Article 21 of the Constitution. It constituted a monitoring committee, headed by a retired judicial officer, to supervise the process and directed authorities to honour commitments concerning basic services at Savda Ghevra.
Those commitments include access to schools, electricity, LPG connections, bus passes and dispensaries. The panel is to include senior representatives of the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board, Delhi Development Authority, Delhi Jal Board, Directorate of Education and the health department.
Residents said the distance between their present homes and Savda Ghevra, about 45 kilometres away, would make it difficult to retain employment in central Delhi. One resident, Shah Nawaz, said the group wanted Gandhi to hear their grievances after the High Court division bench dismissed their challenge and directed them to relocate.
Others said children studying near the existing settlements could face disruption and families dependent on nearby hospitals, including Safdarjung Hospital, feared losing practical access to treatment. Residents also cited commuting costs and the difficulty of reaching early-morning jobs from Delhi’s outskirts.
The group said it was not opposed to vacating the land if the government required it, but wanted alternative housing closer to the current settlements. Residents maintained that relocation should preserve their ability to work, keep children in school and reach essential services rather than merely provide a dwelling at a distant site.
The Centre sought eviction of the clusters on security grounds, telling the court that they stood in a protected zone immediately adjoining an operational Air Force Station. Authorities argued that removing unauthorised structures was necessary to strengthen defence infrastructure and protect sensitive installations.
The High Court accepted that in-situ rehabilitation was not feasible and upheld the decision to shift eligible residents to Savda Ghevra. At the same time, it required continued supervision of the rehabilitation arrangements and ordered the authorities to comply strictly with assurances recorded in an earlier June 4 order.
The court also directed the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board to assist residents with transporting household belongings to their allotted accommodation. The monitoring committee is expected to review rehabilitation over six months, with provision for an extension if required.
The dispute has continued despite some families agreeing to move. Residents who approached the Congress office on Friday had initially been unable to meet Gandhi and submitted a representation seeking what they described as dignified rehabilitation. They returned on Saturday and placed their concerns before him.
