New Delhi: In the tightly packed lanes of Batla House, anxiety hangs thick in the air amid fears of demolition. On May 22 and 26, two notices—one from the UP irrigation department and another from Delhi Development Authority—were posted regarding demolitions at khasras 277 and 279 in this southeast Delhi area, respectively. “The notices came without any information. Suddenly, we were told we have to leave our homes. Panic spread like wildfire,” said 61-year-old Sohrab Khan, a resident of khasra 279 who has lived here for years.The UP irrigation department asked residents to remove their structures from its land at khasra 277 within 15 days, warning of legal action for non-compliance. The eviction date was set a day before Eid al-Adha in early June. The residents have now got a temporary reprieve after Delhi High Court stayed the irrigation department’s plans. Department officials said notices were sent to over 100 houses over the last week. “As per the Supreme Court guidelines stating that a notice should be served to encroachers 15 days prior to demolitions, the UP irrigation department served notices to over 100 houses over the last week. However, a petition was filed by the residents of Batla House on Friday at Delhi High Court, which has ordered a stay on any further action on this,” BK Singh, executive engineer of UP irrigation department, told TOI.Singh added that the hearing was scheduled for Aug 4. “Once the stay is lifted by the high court, the department will go ahead with the demolitions to reclaim its encroached land in Batla House,” he said.For those living in khasra 279, where DDA claims ownership, uncertainty and anxiety continue. The pasted notice points out that Supreme Court, in a May 7 order, directed that all unauthorised structures outside the PM-UDAY boundary be removed. According to the notice, June 11 is the eviction deadline. The residents here have also gone to Delhi High Court for a stay.For the families, the notices felt like a bolt from the blue—no prior warnings, no time to prepare, just an abrupt order to vacate. Mohd Wasi, 55, whose family has lived here since 1990, said, “We have all the papers—electricity bills, water connections, IDs—but when the notice came, it was like everything was slipping away. People here have health issues, and it’s only getting worse with this constant fear. We live in depression now, to be honest,” he said. “But we have full confidence in court. We definitely have faith.” His wife, sitting beside him, her face lined with worry, added quietly, “Every night, we just sit and think—what will happen to us, to our child’s education? We’ve been following the law, yet here we are. Our fourth generation has even been working with govt.”Their son, a student at a Noida college, worries too. “I dream of building a second home for my parents. Now even the first one is slipping away. If it happens, we’ll have to start from zero.”The uncertainty has also overshadowed the upcoming celebrations. “The main festival, Eid al-Adha, is near, but how can we celebrate when we are so worried about losing our homes,” they asked, the festive spirit lost to fear. “By now, cleaning starts, but it’s just silence this time,” said Wasi’s wife.Nazim (65) said, “When the building was being constructed, people were plotting, DDA said nothing… when their land was going, where were they?” Mohd Idris (53) added, “We have electricity bills, water, my driving licence is from this address, why were we not stopped then?”A DDA official said, “Notice has been issued by DDA as well as GNCTD in khasra no. 279, village Okhla, which is acquired DDA/govt land, to remove unauthorised encroachment, as per directions of the Supreme Court vide order dated May 7, 2025… in order to recover precious govt land. As per the directions of the Supreme Court, 15 days’ notice is being issued to the encroachers to vacate govt land.”With inputs from Ashni Dhaor
