New Delhi: A major demolition drive carried out by the Public Works Department (PWD) in the Delhi Cantonment area has left nearly 40 to 50 jhuggi-dwelling families homeless, triggering anger and distress among daily-wage labourers who claim they have been working for the same department for years.
According to residents, a notice was issued on January 31, asking them to vacate the area. Within days, multiple bulldozers were deployed, flattening makeshift homes located along a VIP road in the Delhi Cantt zone.
What has intensified the controversy is the claim by the displaced residents that most of them are PWD maintenance workers, responsible for road repairs, pothole filling, cleaning, painting, and emergency response during accidents and monsoon damage.
“We work for PWD. We repair roads, clean drains, fill potholes. If we are removed, who will do this work?” asked Chandan Singh Parmar, a labourer who says he has worked with PWD for over 15 years.
Residents stated that despite holding Delhi Aadhaar cards, voter IDs, and having lived in the area for over a decade, no alternative housing or rehabilitation was offered. With average daily earnings translating to roughly ₹12,000–₹13,000 per month, workers said renting even the cheapest accommodation in Delhi was impossible.
Women and children were seen sitting in the open amid cold weather, lighting small fires to stay warm, with no access to drinking water, electricity, or cooking facilities after the demolition.
Locals also alleged that no senior official or elected representative visited the site, adding that authorities tend to appear only during election seasons.
“This is a VIP route. Ministers pass here and complain about dirt. But when the same workers who clean the city ask for a place to live, no one listens,” said another resident.
PWD contractors on site confirmed that many evicted families were directly linked to departmental work. Labourers warned that if no solution is provided, many will be forced to return to their villages, impacting essential city maintenance services.
As bulldozers continued operations for the third consecutive day, affected families appealed to the Delhi government to provide basic shelter, stating that they are not demanding ownership—only a place to survive while continuing their work.
