Hundreds of slum dwellers from 13 slums and Jhuggi Jhopdi (JJ) clusters across the capital gathered on Sunday at HK Surjeet Bhawan, Delhi, for a mass convention on housing rights. The convention, held under the banner of the Awaas Adhikar Jan Andolan (People’s Movement for Housing Rights), gave a final warning to the BJP government to immediately stop the bulldozer rampage on the homes of the working class.
Over the past several months, the capital has witnessed a continuous spate of demolitions, displacing thousands of working-class families who toil daily to keep the city running. Government agencies have branded slum dwellers’ homes as “unauthorised” or “illegal,” even as official data shows that more than 73% of Delhi’s residents live in unauthorised colonies. Instead of ensuring dignified housing with basic civic amenities such as water supply, toilets, sewage lines, and roads, the “triple engine” BJP government has continued to unleash bulldozer action.
Residents of colonies that have either faced demolitions or resisted legally—including Wazirpur, Indira Camp, Dhobighat, Madrasi Camp, Bhumiheen Camp, Jai Hind Camp, and Lal Bagh—participated in the convention.
Bibi Akhtari from Dhobighat said, “We constantly live under the threat of bulldozer action by the DDA. A flyover is being constructed on the Yamuna floodplain, but the poor appear to be a problem for the government.”
Shreya from Jai Hind Camp highlighted the dire conditions: “Residents have been living without electricity for more than a month now in this humid Delhi heat. In 2025, thousands of slum dwellers in South Delhi are being punished for being Bengali-speaking workers.”
Speaking at the convention, Sucheta De of CPI(ML) said, “From bulldozer action to vote-chori through SIR, the BJP Government has unleashed an all-out attack on the citizenship rights of Indians. The collective strength of slum dwellers in Delhi will guarantee that all slums and JJ clusters are brought under the protection of law.”
The convention unanimously passed a Charter of Demands that included:
- Immediate halt to all demolitions of JJ clusters and forced evictions.
- Fresh survey of all JJ clusters, bastis, and settlements in Delhi under the supervision of an independent panel of people’s representatives and housing experts.
- Revised eligibility criteria: Cut-off date for jhuggi construction set at July 1, 2025, with a minimum cluster definition of 20 households. Jhuggis in Zone O to be treated at par with other JJ clusters.
- In-situ rehabilitation or resettlement within a 5 km radius, based on the fresh survey.
- Compensation or alternative housing for families already displaced without rehabilitation.
The event was jointly organized by CPI(ML) Liberation, CPI, CPI(M), RSP, Forward Bloc, and CGPI, who pledged to intensify the struggle until dignified housing rights are ensured for all slum dwellers of Delhi.
