Ranchi eviction leaves over 100 families homeless ahead of festivities

Ranchi: Ahead of festivities, when many homes across Ranchi are being painted and decorated with lights, over a hundred families near Birsa Chowk, on By-pass Road, are huddled under torn tarpaulin sheets.

Their huts were demolished in an eviction drive on Saturday, leaving them exposed to heat, rain, and uncertainty since then.Children now sleep on damp ground, women cook with difficulty in the open air, and the elderly struggle without proper shelter. “We were here for more than 20 years. My family of eight is now squeezed inside a broken hut patched with plastic. My children don’t go to school any more; they are scared we might be uprooted again,” said Munni Devi.The slum has no proper facilities, only two uncovered wells for water used in house chores. Later, Ranchi Municipal Corporation provided mobile toilets, tankers, and collected holding taxes from residents. They were even provided with electricity connections. “If we were never meant to live here, why were we given these facilities? Why were we paying bills like any other citizen? Broken wires are dangling over the rubble, making lives riskier,” said Amit Kumar, another resident.

The demolition has struck at the heart of their cultural life. For many women, the Jitiya Parv, a sacred fast where mothers pray for their children’s long life, is approaching, but the rituals demand cleanliness and sanctity. “How can I pray for my child’s well-being while cooking on the roadside?” Munni asked.The pain of losing homes is amplified by the loss of festive traditions. “At least they should have left this half-broken house until Diwali.

Every year we build a small temple for Durga Puja inside our homes, but if the house itself is gone, how will the mandir be made?” said Geeta Devi.Children, too, feel robbed of joy. Ten-year-old Shantanu Kumar said, “Every year we decorated our house with lights for Diwali. This year, they broke our house itself. What will we celebrate?”

As dusk falls, women cover their children with sheets, men gather bricks to block the rainwater, and elders cough in the night air.

With their electricity supply also cut, the entire basti sinks into complete darkness, leaving families to battle fear, mosquitoes, and sleepless nights. More than anything, residents demand dignity through housing.“We are not asking for charity. We only want a roof, so our children can study, our festivals can be celebrated with respect, and we can live like human beings,” said Anita Devi.DC Manjunath Bhajantrri said, “We received a request from HEC, stating that the land was encroached upon. Action was taken on that basis. Sufficient time had been given to vacate, but since the occupation was unlawful, the eviction drive had to be carried out.”