The upcoming Delhi election and the promises being rattled off by the political parties hold no value for the victims of the multiple demolition drives whose lives have turned into a daily struggle for survival amid rising inflation.

“A poor man has to earn and feed himself but the government’s job seems to be to stoke inflation,” said Ashu Khan, whose bike repairing shop was razed in the demolition drive in north Delhi’s Jahangirpuri in 2022.

Khan said he had no expectations from the political parties but if they were serious about doing something, they should shield the poor from demolition drives and inflation.

He said the bulldozer action had changed his life forever. “I rented out my shop because I can’t afford to rebuild it. I have to take care of my wife and two children along with my widowed mother and sister-in-law and her three kids,” Khan said.

“Once I used to provide jobs to people in my bike repair shop but now I am the one who has to take instructions from others,” he added.

Agencies of the Delhi and central governments had conducted several demolition drives in Jahangirpuri, Jangpura, Tughlaqabad and Kasturba Nagar to clear alleged encroachments.

The Supreme Court had stayed the demolition drive in Jahangirpuri but Tughlaqabad failed to get any such breather. In Kasturba Nagar, scores of houses were demolished before the Supreme Court ordered a seven-day stay on the drive to help residents vacate their homes. Delhi High Court had halted the drive in Jangpura in September last year.

Mohd Zahid, 35, who had a welding shop in Jahangirpuri, teared up as he recalled how the authorities took awayhis belongings.

“Now I have to work as a daily wage,” Zahid said.

“During elections, political parties come seeking votes but forget us once the polls are over,” Zahid said, adding that the parties should focus on addressing their grievances instead of using them as vote bank.

Surjit Kaur, a resident of Kasturba Nagar, said: “Seeing the ruins of my house, I can imagine how my ancestors felt when they were forced to leave their homes during Partition.”

For Vikram Singh and his wife Priya Chouhan, residents of Kasturba Nagar, watching their house being bulldozed was a traumatic experience.

“My house was demolished and now I am forced to live in a rented house, strugglingto adjust in a small space,” Priya said.

“We went to meet our local leaders. We also metofficials. But no one listens to our grievances. No one did anything to address our issues. We have lost all hope,”she said.

In May 2023, the Archaeological Survey of India carried out a demolition drive in south Delhi’s Tughlaqabad to remove unauthorised construction and thousands of people were rendered homeless. Several chose to relocate to rented accommodations nearby.

“They decided to stayin rented houses because shifting may disrupt theirchildren’s education andfinding a new job isn’t easy either,” said Madhavi Kotwal Samson, founder, director and managing trustee of NGO Action Beyond Help AndSupport.

The fear of displacement was palpable among the residents of Madrasi Camp near Old Barapullah Bridge in south Delhi’s Jangpura.

“We thank Delhi High Court for staying the eviction notice. We have been living here for a long time. We don’t want to leave this place. Starting a new life from scratch in a new place is very difficult,” Shivu Mondal, a resident of the cluster, said.

• Delhi votes on February 5