On Saturday, during the early hours of the day, railway authorities in New Delhi's Shakur Basti area began an anti-encroachment drive. At least, 500 shanties (jhuggis) were demolished leaving these slum dwellers in West Delhi homeless on a brutally cold day.
The demolition began at around noon and ended during the evening hours. The residents have accused the railways of destroying their homes without any prior notice. In the process, a six-month-old girl was killed while their homes were being demolished and a piece of furniture fell on her.
While the railways have denied the charges and have said that several notices were given to the slum residents for vacating their homes, Delhi government is reportedly seeking legal opinion on filing a criminal case against the railways. Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal could only condemn the incident saying God will never forgive those who killed her. But, wasn’t it Kejriwal himself who made false promises of replacing slums with permanent structures during his poll campaign?
Many of us may not feel the brutal cold for we are blessed with a home and all the essential amenities. But, the poor do not even have a roof over them to protect themselves from the brutal cold. Between the years 2002 and 2012, more than 10,000 people have died in India due to cold. Last winter also, scores of people were killed in Delhi alone.
The incapability and unplanned measures of the state governments during extreme weather conditions have resulted in many deaths across India. The recent example is the Tamil Nadu floods, which left thousands homeless and killed more than 250 people. While it may be easy for the government to play blame games, the point missing is how unprepared they are for any weather calamity.
With only half of December gone, Delhi winters will get more intense and conditions are likely to get even worse. How well prepared will the Delhi government be to save the lives of the poor, only time will tell.
Image Credit: theguardian.com