In Delhi's 'Puppeteer Colony', Stalemate Strings Residents To Poverty

New Delhi: Tucked away from the glare of visitors to India's capital, just 6 km from the manicured lawns of the Parliament building, thousands of its citizens live in the most unliveable of conditions, passing their days surrounded by filth, garbage, open defecation, and little room to live.

The slum is not an ordinary one though. It is possibly the single biggest borough of traditional street artists in the world and is named after Rajasthan's old tradition of string puppets - Kathputli.

The sight of a boy defecating in the middle of the road greets us as we walk in to Kathputli Colony.
 Garbage on both sides of the road, open drains, and a persistent stink seems all too familiar to the 3,000 or so families that live here.
 "From the time of my grandfather and great grandfather, we have kept this art alive. This is a famous place. We have travelled the world, keeping India's flag flying high. Still, the government has put pressure on us to move from here and kill our art," said Sharbati, the headwoman of the colony.

In 2009, the Delhi Development Authority or DDA partnered with Raheja Developers to "redevelop" the area by building shopping malls, offices and apartments - including for around 3,000 families that live in the slum. Seven years on, the DDA has not been able to convince the residents to move to a transit camp while they construct the flats.

Five hundred families did move to a clean and well-made transit camp more than two years ago but more than 2,000 families still refuse to.

Naveen Raheja, the chief of Raheja Developers, told NDTV, "Seven years of pain, having invested over Rs 200 crore and having done everything, someone with vested interests has stopped this, inaction on the part of the executing authority DDA has been causing all these problems'
 The residents at Kathputli Colony allege that DDA has indulged in corruption. "They are not giving us a written agreement before we leave our homes, that we will get our homes in this much time. Why? Because they have indulged in fraud," said one resident.

Such is the condition of the colony that a few feet away from a child defecating are the artists and musicians practicing their craft.
 The DDA is governed by the Centre. So, is this just one of the many battlegrounds in the all-out war between Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and the Centre?

The legislator of the Kathputli Colony, AAP's Vijender Garg told NDTV, "We suspect foul play otherwise the DDA would sign written agreements with the slum residents. The conditions they live in are not even fit for animals."

NDTV accessed a letter by the AAP to the Minister of Urban Development, Venkaiah Naidu, seeking action in the Kathputli Colony but Mr Garg claimed that the minister has not shown enough interest in the project so far.

The DDA, on its part, has not taken any decisive action because it fears the backlash of a forceful eviction that could go wrong. The BJP-ruled DDA feels it could give the opposition political ammunition. But it responds to the residents' demand for a written agreement with an odd argument: It will be handed to them once they move out.

JP Agarwal, Principal Commissioner in the DDA, told NDTV "Sometimes when you try and do something good that can make many cry instead of laugh. We want to do this peacefully. Police will be used as a last resort. The competent authority, the L-G (Lieutenant Governor) or the Ministry of Urban development will decide."

Residents of the slum who have moved to transit camp say the rest of their neighbours deeply mistrust the authorities and won't move without the use of force.

The other victim in this saga seems to be the developer who has now constructed and maintained the transit camp for more than two years for 500 families who did move.

When asked if the delay has been because of politics, Naveen Raheja, CMD of Raheja Developers said, "I can't comment but here is a beautiful scheme you announced, made me enter and now seven years you are making me bleed."