Evicted from home, Delhi families left in limbo as SIR redraws the electoral map

New Delhi: When 77-year-old Lallu Jaik left his home near Delhi's Race Course after it was demolished last month, he thought the hardest part would be starting over.

Instead, two months after moving into a Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB) flat in Savda Ghevra, the elderly shopkeeper is now struggling to answer a question that should be simple: who will give him an electoral form and what address should he put on it?

Jaik and his 73-year-old wife, Uma Devi, are among hundreds of families displaced from the Bhai Ram (BR) Camp, DID Camp and Masjid Camp after a demolition drive which took place on June 14. While the families have begun rebuilding their lives in the resettlement colony, the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of Delhi's electoral rolls has left many uncertain about where they are supposed to complete the exercise.


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"We were told by neighbours to go back to BR Camp, collect the enumeration form and fill it out. But what address are we supposed to mention? Our house there has been demolished," Jaik told PTI.

Travelling back to the old settlement, nearly 45 kilometres away, would cost around Rs 500 one way.

"How can we spend so much money just to collect and submit a form? If the process could be completed here, it would make life much easier," he said.

For Uma Devi, the journey itself is difficult. Suffering from severe swelling in both her feet, she rarely steps out of the house.

She said she was unable to vote in the Legislative Assembly elections last year after she found out that her name had already been deleted from the electoral roll.

"I was never informed that my name had been removed. I only found out when I went to vote," she said.

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Jaik's confusion is shared by several families in the rehabilitation colony, many of whom say they have received conflicting advice on whether they should complete the SIR process from their demolished settlements or from their new addresses in Savda Ghevra.

More than 13,000 Booth Level Officers (BLOs) have been conducting door-to-door visits under the SIR, which began on June 30, to distribute enumeration forms and collect details from electors. The exercise, earlier scheduled to conclude on July 29, will now continue till August 8.

Before the exercise began, Delhi Chief Electoral Officer Alok Kumar had acknowledged the challenge posed by recent demolitions.

He had said that when BLOs visited demolished settlements, they would find vacant land instead of electors, making both the distribution of enumeration forms and verification difficult. Such cases, he had said, would be treated as "special cases" and discussed with the Election Commission of India.

On the ground, however, residents said they are yet to receive any specific directions.

Mohan, a BLO in the BR camp, said the names of residents who have shifted have not yet been deleted from the electoral rolls, adding that he had advised them to submit Form 8 for change of address.

"We have been instructed not to distribute the enumeration forms to those whose houses have been demolished or those who have received the issuance slips of the house they will be relocating to. However, no one's name is being deleted immediately. Once Form 8 is submitted and the address is verified at the new location, the elector's name will automatically be shifted," he said.

Explaining why enumeration forms were not being distributed to families who had already relocated, Mohan said they no longer fell within the old constituency.

"If we complete their SIR from here, their names will continue to remain in our electoral part. We will then have to delete them again after the address change. That is why those who have already shifted are not being covered here," he said.

Many residents, however, said they were unaware of the procedure and had instead been relying on neighbours, political workers and social volunteers for information.

Some also complained of poor mobile connectivity in parts of the rehabilitation colony, making it difficult to access information or contact officials.

Iram, whose family shifted from the Race Course area on June 16, said they came to know about the process only after a local worker still living in the old settlement informed relocated residents.

"My father went back today, collected the enumeration form, and submitted it. Nobody from the authorities had informed us. We only knew because another resident told us," she said.

For others, local workers have stepped in where official communication has been lacking.

Shaista, a booth-level agent (BLA-2) with the Aam Aadmi Party, said she had anticipated the problem even before the SIR began and met the sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) on June 23, requesting that enumeration forms be made available in the rehabilitation colony.

"These families had already been relocated before the exercise began. I did not want anyone to be left out simply because there was confusion over which address they should use," she said.

Residents have also approached authorities seeking a more formal solution.

Surender, a local BJP worker who earlier worked at the Delhi Race Club before losing his job after the eviction notice, said residents had submitted a representation requesting that the Election Commission facilitate the process from Savda Ghevra itself.

"We have requested that the SIR process be carried out here because people have already shifted. It is not practical for families to keep travelling back to the old settlement for every formality," he said.

The demolition drive was carried out on June 14 after the Delhi High Court directed authorities to clear Bhai Ram Camp, DID Camp and Masjid Camp near the Prime Minister's residence and ensure the rehabilitation of eligible residents. Officials said the land was required for security and defence infrastructure.