Uttar Pradesh: Shanty demolition renders the settlers homeless on chilly winter nights

Lucknow— As the temperatures dropped to a new low on the night of 20th December in Lucknow. The authorities at the LDA and Lucknow Nagar Nigam had a very merciless task at hand – Demolishing the settlement which faces a Hotel and a School in LDA Colony.

The families living here were left shivering in the harsh winter as the bulldozer rammed through the encroachment. All the families are migrants from neighbouring districts like Unnao, Raebareli etc. While most of the men here are daily workers making 300-400 rs daily. The women work in homes to eke out a living.

These people over a piece of land lying vacant and owned by the LDA.

“It was lying vacant therefore we started living here had the construction started we would have ourselves vacated and left,“ says Bharat, A daily labourer who belongs to a village in the Unnao district.

Another labourer Tejpal says “we have small kids. There needs to be some shelter for them that is our main concern, we would leave. We work as labourers, some days we manage to earn around 350 rs, while on some days we don’t get work. The income we generate monthly is not sufficient to rent a room in this city.”

Some of the dwellers allude that the demolition was carried out at the behest of the school and the owners of the newly opened hotel, although they are not forthcoming on this allegation.

“These people have paid commission to get us evicted “alleges one of the dwellers.

However, some of the settlers have a softer view towards the authorities

“They gave us woods to burn fire and food to eat” we can’t deny this, says Tejpal but is soon rebuffed by another settler who says “we did not get the woods and in the name of the food they only gave biscuits.“

The Mooknayak tried to reach out to the authorities at the LDA, but could not contact them.

The employees at the Hotel also refused to comment on the issue.

As most of the residents collect their belongings to move out of the place in search of shelter, we need to ponder over that why the people who build splendid buildings in the city are forced to live in such sub-human conditions. The claims of the government on the success of PM Awas Yojana (Urban) also ring hollow in this light.