Life in the Kathputli Transit Camp: A People in Limbo

The transit camp has been housing residents of the Kathputli Colony since 2014.

People living in the camp.

(Photo: The Quint)

As I entered into Anand Parbat industrial area, where the residents of Kathputli colony are being housed, I was greeted with dust, mosquitos and constant announcements of “aapko Narela jana hoga, nahi aap purane ho, aapko yahin rehna hoga.’’ (You have to move to Narela, no not you, you are an older resident, you will stay here). The big iron gate and security guards beside it reminded me of Kala Pani in Andaman and Nicobar Islands during the British Era.

The transit camp at the Anand Parbat area near the Ramjas Grounds has been accommodating residents of the Kathputli Colony since February 2014. By June this year, the number of families that moved in here had reached 828. However, after the 30 October demolition, there has a been huge surge in the number of families moving in to find refuge.

This has led to a fair amount of confusion.

The transit camp can accommodate up to 2,800 families, and for the excess, arrangements have been made 30 kms away from Kathputli Colony, in Narela. Swanky new flats are awaiting in Narela to provide shelter to 1,000 more families.

Some families who are happy being here(Photo: The Quint)

At first glance, the transit camp looked like peaceful place with a sea of people in chaotic harmony.

The people who had been living here for a while looked relatively relaxed and were seen chit-chatting on khatiyas, with young men sporting well-groomed beards and tidy ponytails sitting on bikes smoking cigarettes. But the people who arrived after their houses were razed, looked frantic, roaming around with reams of documents in their arms.

I tried to strike up a conversation with some of the locals, but that didn’t get me far. The standard response was “Talk to Puran Bhatt ji, he is our Pradhan.” But they did point me to Puran’s house, where I dutifully went.

Banner listing the amenities provided by DDA (Photo: The Quint)

‘Life Is Good Here’

Making my way through the meandering lanes and tiptoeing along the slippery ground, I reached a humble shack, 12x8 feet across.

By his demeanour, Mr Bhatt came across as someone with power in the community. So even though he wasn’t technically the ‘pradhan’, most people seemed to think he was.

Puran Bhatt, an award-winning puppeteer.(Photo: The Quint)

“There is 24x7 supply of water and electricity. We get water from two different sources, a borewell and from MCD. There is a row of toilets at the end of each lane. There are also makeshifts toilets available.”

According to the Samaj Natak award-winner, life in his 12x8-foot room couldn’t be better. All necessary amenities are taken care of and the government is doing everything to give them a stable life.

However, Sunil*, a resident of Kathputli Colony, had a different story to tell.

Remembering the dreadful day he lost his house to bulldozers, he says, “I had to wrap my one-year-old daughter in a shawl and run to protect her from the tear gas. While I was running, the police were behind me with lathis, if I fell I would have lost my daughter forever.”

He added that the rooms were too small for his family to fit.

In Kathputli Colony we had 9 jhuggis, but here, how do you expect us to live in two rooms? The toilets are in a deplorable condition and clean water is a big problem. Water is available for only 2-4 hours a day, and we have to queue up to get it. Living here is a constant battle for us. But at least the electricity is stable.

Sunil

Row of toilets (Photo: The Quint)

But a coordinator who was managing the the DDA booth in the transit camp said, “We have provided facility for each and every basic human need. There is water available from Delhi Jal Board and there is so much water that is overflows.’’

“Free ki chiz milne se log jyada nooks nikalte hain,’’ (If you get something for free, you don’t value it enough) remarked the coordinator.

An Extra Burden for Women

As I ventured forward, the smell of sewage and clay stove smoke was almost overpowering. I decided to stop and explore.

I saw women who were cooking chapattis on a clay stove outside their home, and I was compelled to ask why they were cooking right on the dirty street.

“Where else do we go? There is not enough space for us sleep forget about having a kitchen to ourselves,” said Janvi*.

None of the women wanted to reveal their identities – they were scared that whatever little they were getting from the DDA would be snatched away. They were very reluctant to speak against the builders or the DDA.

Women cooking on clay stoves outside their houses(Photo: The Quint)

Twenty-one-year-old Janvi went on to say that the women didn’t feel safe in their new premises.

“The other day a girl was raped when she had gone to relieve herself at night. There were talks of another girl being kidnapped. We don’t have proper toilets or bathrooms. We bathe inside our house only, in a small corner. It is really a pain to live like this.”

However, Bhatt rejected all the claims of any woman being raped or kidnapped and said, “Girls are safer here than they were in Kathputli colony. Even if a woman sleeps outside on a kathiya, nothing will happen to her. There is no theft or rape here. There are CCTVs which operate 24x7.”

While I did find a board that ominously read “you are under CCTV surveillance”, I didn’t find any actual CCTVs.

Posters saying that you are under CCTV surveillance (Photo: The Quint)

The DDA coordinator said that the accounts of a woman being raped or kidnapped “are all rumours”. They weren’t any rape or kidnapping cases reported, she said.

“They come from an area which was the hub of illegal activities like drugs and prostitution. We have 24-hour security here, nothing like that has happened.’’

A little later in the evening, I saw groups of women had lined up at the taps, ready to fill their buckets. There was a heated argument about whose turn was it and the number of containers one could to fill. Amidst the chants of ''Mar jaaye yeh Raheja, Aag lage Raheja ko'' (cursing Raheja, the builder) women returned to their homes dissatisfied with the amount of water they had managed to get after queueing up for close to 2 hours.

Women waiting for their turn to fill water.(Photo: The Quint)

The Initial Agreement

According to an initial survey done by the DDA, 2,800 families had been registered to be rehabilitated, but the authority received 1,200 additional applications on top of that. Hence, the cut-off date for submission of beneficiary applications was extended from 31 January 2011 to 1 January 2015.

Therefore, people who were registered before 31/1/2011 will get a flat in Kathputli Colony whereas the people who are registered after 31/1/2011 but before 1/1/2015 will get a flat in Narela.

‘’We want every ‘authentic’ resident to get rehabilitated,’’ said Shabnam Kundra, DDA’s Nodal Officer.

Why Not Narela?

On asking about the arrangements in Narela, Shabnam, DDA’s Nodal officer, assured that, “There are about 1,000 flats in Narela. 2,800 families will be accommodated here in Kathputli colony and the rest will shift to Narela. Survey showed a number of 3,000 families so we have enough space for all of them. They will have to pay an amount of Rs 1,12,000 for the flat, which they can pay in easy instalments. All this is happening for their better future and to give them a better standard of living.’’

The locals are adamant about not moving to Narela as it would take a longer time get to work until they get accustomed to the way of life there. Sending children to school will also be a problem. And most importantly, half the family have got houses here in the Colony and the rest in Narela. They don’t want to live separately. They wanted to live like one big happy family.

“Isse acha toh Pakistan hai”

Bhatt, sounding very progressive said, “I want to ask a question to the masses, where do you want see us? Living a better life? Moving towards a brighter future or continuing to live in jhuggis? We are born vagabonds. It is in our profession to be on the move and carry our tents with us. That’s how our ancestors used to live. If you want us to go back to a life like that, then we will do that.”

<i>Isse acha toh Pakistan hai, dusro ke desh mein bomb phekta hai, dusre logo ko taqleef pahunchata hai, apne kaum ke logo ko toh baksh deta hai, par humara desh toh apno ke saath hi aisa kar raha hai.</i> (Pakistan is a better country than India. They at least throw bombs in a different country, trouble other people, but take care of their own. But our country is troubling its own citizens.)&nbsp;

Sunil, Puppeteer

A hurt and disappointed Sunil also mentioned that “Modi ne kaha jahan juggi, wahan makaan, hume kyun dusri jagah de rahein hain.’’ (Modi had said where there is jhuggi, there you will get a house, then why are we being sent to a different location?)

Shabnam Kundra, DDA’s Nodal officer said, “Do saal se inke aage haath-pair jod rahi thi, tab kisi ne nahi suna aur ab sabko problem hai.” (I have literally begged them for the past two years, they did not listen and now everyone has problems.)

Row of houses at the camp(Photo: The Quint)

A Child Dead

On 30 October, during the demolition drive, the death of a child was reported.

The residents maintain that he was killed by the tear gas used by the police. In contrast, DDA’s nodal officer and Bhatt echoed the same sentiment – the child was suffering from severe pneumonia, and a report from Kalawati hospital states that he died because of this disease, and not tear gas.

Little girl waiting for house (Photo: The Quint)

Where’s the ‘Development’?

“We just wanted a guarantee from DDA that at the end of 2 years, the flat will be ours sure-shot. We didn’t get anything like that. Instead, they just threw us out of our own houses. We are living in such a miserable condition here. Most of the people don’t have houses here. Where will they go?’’ asks a despondent Sunil.

*Names changed to protect identities.