Why is Mata Village Usmanpur often threatened? This place near the Yamuna River faces demolition. It sits on the river’s floodplain.
Mata Village Usmanpur is part of Zone ‘O’. The Delhi Development Authority wants to rejuvenate the Yamuna. They plan recreational areas. This puts Mata Village Usmanpur at risk.
The National Green Tribunal prohibited construction here in 2014. Civic authorities carry out anti-encroachment drives. Demolitions happen often without notice. Residents say they receive no conversation. Authorities just demolish homes and state that it’s government land.
Raghu from the Sapera community says shifting homes is now a way of life. The Sapera are a denotified tribe. They cannot access welfare schemes.
The destruction of homes can mean months without shelter. In 2020, many jhuggis were demolished. Rubeena remembers shivering in the cold. Five families huddled around one fire to stay warm.
Rubeena has lived in Old Usmanpur her whole life. Her parents migrated from West Bengal when she was a year old. After each demolition, they rebuild their homes.
Most residents work for daily wages. Days spent guarding possessions mean lost income. Rubeena says their main work is waste picking. Some residents beg or pull rickshaws. Many days bring no income at all. Paying rent becomes impossible. Rents can reach Rs 4000. There is no state-subsidised housing.
In May 2022, residents heard about a big demolition on June 6th and 7th. There was no official communication. Rubeena worried about her school-going children. Shifting schools mid-year is difficult. Children may drop out.
Nanni Devi has lived in Old Usmanpur almost her entire life. Rebuilding broken homes drains their money. She asks how they can afford rent when they lack food. People beg or pick garbage for food.
Nanni Devi remembers when fields surrounded the village. Farmers grew wheat and vegetables. She says the land looked different then. Crops grew everywhere.
The NGT ban on farming led to more anti-encroachment drives. These increased in the last few years. Nanni Devi says her area was demolished in 2021.
Nanni Devi laments the loss of trees. Demolitions destroy jamun, mango and banana trees. She had grown them with so much effort.
Raghu says the Sapera community are mostly labourers. They also work as scrap dealers. He says they have no ancestral land. If the government gave them land, they could make permanent homes. Nanni Devi agrees that the government should provide land so their children have a place to live. She pleads that since farming has been taken away, they should at least be allowed to live here.