Anatomy of a Demolition: How a High Court order erased Gurugram’s Prem Nagar Basti amid broken promises of rehabilitation

FORTY-YEAR OLD KAMLESH sat on a broken charpai by the road in Gurugram’s Prem Nagar II locality, waiting for her mehendi to dry while staring into the wreckage of the only home she has ever known. Two days after their homes were demolished, women huddled together, painting each other's hands with henna as part of a Karva Chauth ritual. The Prem Nagar basti, opposite the HSVP Market in Sector 12A Gurugram, had lived through repeated eviction threats. On October 8, 2025, however, over 170 huts were demolished as part of an ‘anti-encroachment drive’ (locals told The Leaflet that the number could vary since many homes were partly demolished to make way for bulldozers).Speaking to Times of India that day, officials of the Haryana Shehri Vikas Pradhikaran (‘HSVP’) stated that they had been directed to bulldoze the ‘illegal’ structures occupying 1 acre of HSVP land’ by a Punjab-Haryana High Court order delivered on January 16, 2025.The residents, however, contest the grounds on which their homes have been razed down..Unimplemented relocation order Eleven years after 204 flats were allotted to the residents of Prem Nagar basti as part of Haryana government’s Ashiana Scheme, the order has still not been implemented. Initiated in 2009, the scheme is a low cost housing project for economically weaker sections (‘EWS’), developed by HSVP, which was previously known as Haryana Urban Development Authority (‘HUDA’). In 2014, the HSVP Chief Administrator from Panchkula, directed the Estate Officer that 204 residents out of 209 from the basti, be relocated to Sector 47 Ashiana flats. (A copy of the order, attached at the end of the story, has been reviewed by this reporter). Residents state that despite being informed about the allotments, the implementation was stalled. Arjun, 36, a resident of Prem Nagar alleged that they were told by the HSVP that an order passed under Congress government could no longer be implemented under the Bharatiya Janata Party (‘BJP’) government, as the current ruling party had to take a separate call on the matter. “We have all the documents, be it ration card, BPL (Below Poverty Line) certificate, caste certificate, Pan Card and so on. They are free to check our credentials,” said Arjun, who goes by his first name. Advocate and social activist Abhay Jain said that he wrote to Rakesh Saini, Estate Officer of HSVP, urging the HSVP to stop the demolition on three separate grounds..Jain claims that out of 204 eligible candidates, not a single slum-dweller was allotted a flat in Sector 47 under the Ashiana scheme, as per the Chief Administrative officer’s orders. “The allocations which should have been made by December 2014, have not been carried out till date,” said Jain. In 2016, residents submitted an application for rehabilitation to the former estate officer. The office directed them to submit a hefty fee of Rs. 8000. Some families could not afford the amount especially since this was done during the demonetisation..The recent jhuggi demolitions in Delhi are built on a castle of distorted truths and factual overreach.While 109 families were able to make the payment, the HSVP committed to rehabilitating only 84 homes, said Jain. The claim was also corroborated by the residents. Some families who were left out, appealed the court, contesting their non-inclusion. Finally, before the demolition, officials identified and marked 86 ‘legal’ homes that would be spared as they were found eligible under the Ashiana scheme. “There are others who should have been in this list as they had paid the amount. Some of them are family members of people who are part of the list, still their homes were demolished,” said Arjun.“In all, 86 residences were found to have legal status, they were not demolished today… But eventually, these houses would also be demolished in the next three months after alternate living arrangements are made,” R S Batth, the Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority District Town Planner who was present on the demolition site, told Indian Express. Jain argues that there is no harm for the government in accepting fresh applications from those who were not able to apply in 2016. Moreover, he points out that those who were left out despite making the payment, were neither informed about their non-selection, nor did they get their money back. .Rakesh, a resident, said “Our children have stopped going to school. They have nothing to eat, nothing to wear.” .Thirty Eight-year-old Satyavati alleges that she did not receive the 8000 challan receipt despite making the payment. Satyavati, who goes by her first name, is a mother of seven and has been staying at a relative’s hut with her family ever since her home was razed down. “Note Bandi ke time, hamare paas kuchh nahi tha, phir bhi yeh zaroori tha isiliye ham apna keemti samaan bechkar paise bhade. Na hame hamare paise wapas mile, na hame ghar mila, aur jo tha woh bhi chheen liya.”, During demonetisation, we had nothing, yet we paid because it was said to be necessary — even if it meant selling our valuable belongings. We never got our money back, we never got a house, and what little we had was taken away too. She lamented. Her 14-year-old daughter stopped going to school after the demolition. The High Court verdict given on January 16, cites a letter issued by the former Estate Officer on December 28, 2022 informing the Court that the process of allotment had commenced. The Estate officer had submitted an affidavit in court stating that the allotments had been made. Based on this information, the verdict adds that it “hopes and expects that allotment to the eligible must have been made by now.” HSVP misinformed the Court about the Housing Scheme’s statusThe advocate alleges that the court had been misinformed about the implementation of the housing scheme, which led to its nod to the so-called anti-encroachment drive. The Basti’s Pradhan, 44-year-old Teerath Shyamjilal echoes these allegations levelled against the HSVP. While families who have lost their homes in Prem Nagar now live in make-shift, half-broken shanties, the Ashiana flats in Sector 47, remain unoccupied..The Prem Nagar basti, opposite the HSVP Market in Sector 12A Gurugram, had lived through repeated eviction threats..“Woh Ashiana ghar sadh gaye, kharaab hone lage, magar ham logo ko kuchh nahi diya gaya. Sirf badhe badhe wadein kiye gaye.”, the Ashiana flats were left empty and started to fall apart, still we did not get the allotments, said 35-year-old Bharti.Advocate and member of the BJP Kulbushan Bharadwaj, who has been rallying for the residents, reiterated the allegations against the HSVP. When asked about the ruling party’s inaction on the matter, Bharadwaj said “The ruling party can certainly intervene. But Mr. Mukesh Sharma (MLA from the BJP) has been busy with some other work. Still, he has given complete assurance that the residents will be relocated. We have his full support.”The Leaflet made efforts to contact Mukesh Sharma and the HSVP but there was no response from their end.Yet, no amount of assurances have materialised into any support for the displaced people, who have gone without proper food and basic amenities since the demolition. The residents complain that after the demolition, no political representative came to the site to provide any help or support to the community. “Hamare ghar todne ke baad koi neta hamse yeh poochhne nahi aaya ki ham hamari chhat ke bina kaise jee rahe hai. Ham road pe baithke khaana banate hai, peeneko saaf pani nahi hai.”, After our homes were demolished, no leader came to ask how we are living without a roof over our heads. We cook our meals on the roadside and don’t even have clean water to drink.”, the residents complained in unison. Among the inhabitants, there is a unanimous cry - “Ujaadhne se pehle basaya jaaye.”“If you are to take away this land, at least relocate us to another place.” .Jai Bhim Nagar demolitions and the doctrine of unconstitutional state of affairs.Even the 86 families whose homes have been spared for now live in dread, anticipating bulldozers any day. Life of the basti in a standstillTwenty Five-year-old Shivani, a law student, has not been able to go to college since the demolition. “Children here are scared. There is nothing to eat or drink. What happened to us is entirely unjust. Baccho ki shiksha, rozgaar sab kuchh tham gaya hai.” Shivani, who grew up in the basti, also takes up work to support her education. Many girls in the Basti have been juggling jobs and their studies to financially support their families. The Youth of the basti, including Shivani, run collectives such as Shiksha ke Saathi inspired by the life and work of Savitri Bai Phule, and Krantikari Naujawan Sabha (KNS) - a collective focusing on education and greater political awareness. The demolition however, has brought all work and life to a standstill. Rakesh, a resident, said “Our children have stopped going to school. They have nothing to eat, nothing to wear.” Forty-five-year-old Radha, another inhabitant, said that one of her sons who is hearing and speech impaired cannot resume schooling after the demolition. People in the Basti work as cobblers, labourers, porters, as well as artisans. Many would sell diyas in the market during Diwali. This year, residents recall how grim and hopeless they felt in this year's festival season, surrounded by the wreckage. Immediately after the demolition, many were forced to put up on the streets with their belongings. Women expressed concerns about their safety and every day survival had become challenging. .The advocate alleges that the court had been misinformed about the implementation of the housing scheme, which led to its nod to the so-called anti-encroachment drive..Local history According to the village elders, the land belonged to an old man, whose family had a long drawn land dispute with the HSVP. Amid changing governments, a land dispute and multiple eviction notices, the residents have been stuck in a limbo. They question the motive behind the so-called encroachment drive.“Generations have lived here, we made two-storey homes. When this region had nothing, but garbage and waste, nobody came to claim it. And now they call us encroachers? They want to take away the little we have and feed the rich,” Radha, a resident, along with others said. The basti survived a fire in 2008. Thirty three-year-old Seema and others say that even after the fire that left their homes in shambles, they had to rebuild their homes with no help from the government. “We survived alone then and have been left to survive without any help from the government yet again.” she said.Slum-dwellers reduced to vote bank The slum-dwellers complain that they have been treated as vote banks by politicians. Ministers make the rounds in the Basti during elections. “They promised to repair our sewage lines, to give us better homes. The BJP made so many promises. When our homes were razed to the ground, not a single Minister came to our aid,” said Arjun. The demolition drive was met with collective resistance from the slum-dwellers. They report that the protesters were met with police man-handling. “They slapped our men, and put our girls into buses.” says Bharti, who goes by her first name. Satyavati says that when she, along with others, attempted to rescue their belongings, they were pushed away by the police. “When they saw my daughter making a video of the scene they pushed her into the bus. Many girls were detained in the bus for about three hours until the demolition drive was over.” she added. .Demolish, then disenfranchise: Urban planning as the new instrument of political engineering.A month later, little has changed. Forced to adapt to their present conditions, the residents have put up plastic roofs, and covered their partially broken walls with curtains. Many have lost their homes entirely and sleep on the narrow lanes of the slum. With freezing winters settling upon the capital region, things have only become more precarious, with no notice or rehabilitation plan from the authorities. Those who lost their homes are no sharing a roof with their relatives - those whose huts were spared in the October demolitions. Others have taken shelter in makeshift tents of bamboo and tarpaulin. “They see us as votes, not as people,” one resident said. Little else is left to be said.

Anatomy of a Demolition: How a High Court order erased Gurugram’s Prem Nagar Basti amid broken promises of rehabilitation

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