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print versionHomeless, Starving and Nowhere to Go:
Forced Evictions of Khori Gaon in the Middle of a Pandemic and Monsoon
Report of the Public Hearing held on July 17, 2021, organized by Concerned Citizens for Khori Gaon and National Alliance of People’s Movements (NAPM).
This report is the outcome of a public hearing held on July 17, 2021, organised by Concerned Citizens for Khori Gaon & National Alliance of People’s Movements to hear the testimonies of residents about the years of injustice, fraud, ill-treatment and human rights abuses now climaxed with the brutal demolition of Khori Gaon.
Panel members:
Amita Bhide, Professor, Tata Institute of Social Science
Anjali Bhardwaj, National Convenor, NAPM
Ashish Kothari, Environmentalist, Pune
Bittu K.R., Associate Professor, Ashoka University
Dr Claude Alvares, Director, Goa Foundation
The Supreme Court has concluded that this basti is an encroachment on the Aravalli forest land and so deemed it fit to order the Municipal Corporation of Faridabad to undertake evictions using force if needed and not to use the Covid pandemic as an excuse to delay the demolitions. Demolitions have been going on continuously since July 14.
The monsoon has arrived, and we are still in a pandemic where most of the population is not vaccinated. Haryana was under partial lockdown till June 21, 2021. Thus we have all the ingredients of a huge human rights disaster, one that could easily be averted.
The report provides the historical context of the settlement, details about the legal cases and the Supreme Court’s orders, a description of the multiple demolitions that have taken place, their impact on the settlement’s residents and the human rights violations that have emerged. The panel members who heard the testimonies about Khori Gaon were of the view that this is a human rights disaster of massive proportions, hence entirely unacceptable, mainly due to the brutal manner in which the demolitions were carried out.
The panel’s main recommendations were that:
1. The cruelty and violence with which the forced eviction and demolition is being conducted be halted immediately.
2. Adequate compensation should be provided for all losses, deaths and injuries.
3. Before resorting to further eviction/demolition, a survey must record the number of families and their family members, provide temporary accommodation to those whose houses were destroyed, and provide documentation to all regarding rehabilitation within a given time frame.
4. The rehabilitation plan should keep in mind the basic human facilities of water, electricity, sanitation, access to health care, education and transport.
5. All evictees and residents should be enrolled in welfare schemes and policies for the vulnerable groups.
6. There should be a complete moratorium on evictions and demolitions during the pandemic.
7. The other high-end developments like hotels and farmhouses on PLPA land should be treated the same way as Khori Gaon; they should be demolished simultaneously. If the high-end developments are not considered encroachers, then the urban poor’s settlement should also not be destroyed; instead, Khori Gaon should be allowed to exist in its current location.
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