On December 15, officials of the Uttar Pradesh Irrigation Department, accompanied by the Delhi Police, Uttar Pradesh Police, and paramilitary forces, conducted a large-scale sealing operation in Aali Gaon, located in the Okhla Assembly constituency of South Delhi.
The action was carried out on court directions to clear alleged encroachments on land claimed by the Uttar Pradesh Irrigation Department.
According to residents, the operation was executed without prior notice to the majority of households. While demolition notices were reportedly served only to a few shops on the main road, the colony residents state that no notice was issued for residential homes. Despite this, around 300 residential structures and several shops were sealed.
Due to the enforcement of GRAP 4 (Graded Response Action Plan), the anti-pollution restrictions, bulldozer demolitions were not carried out.
Instead, authorities proceeded with sealing the properties.
During the operation, electricity and water connections were disconnected, leaving families without power or drinking water.
The sealing drive has resulted in the immediate displacement of hundreds of families. With their homes locked and no alternative arrangements provided, residents are now living outside their sealed houses in the harsh December cold in makeshift tents and temporary shelters.
The humanitarian impact is severe.
Among the displaced are a woman with a nine-day-old newborn, forced to sleep outdoors without shelter, warmth, or basic facilities. Pregnant women are also among those left homeless, spending nights in the cold without medical support, food security, or protection.
Residents say no government agency has arranged shelter, food, water, or healthcare following the operation.
Families insist they have been living in Aali Gaon for 30 to 40 years and claim possession of legal documents, including identity proofs and property-related papers. They question why homes inhabited for decades were suddenly sealed without notice or rehabilitation and why they are being treated as illegal occupants.
"We have been living here for many years and possess all the required legal documents, including Aadhaar cards, PAN cards, Voter ID cards, and passports. We have also been regularly paying our electricity and water bills. Despite this, the government has declared us illegal occupants and is claiming our properties. We did not receive any prior notice from the Uttar Pradesh Irrigation Department or from any court before our homes were sealed. We are currently sleeping outside in the cold December weather as our home has been sealed. We do not have any shelter or alternative accommodation," Tanya, Aali Gaon resident, told NDTV.
Another resident claimed they were not given any prior notice before their house was sealed.
"I'm living here for the last 25 years. We were not given any time or prior notice before our property was sealed. The police arrived suddenly and forced us to vacate our home. We have been living here for many years and possess all the required legal documents, including Aadhaar cards, PAN cards, Voter ID cards, and passports. We have also been regularly paying our electricity and water bills," said Samvira Devi, another resident.
A woman named Shamina was sitting outside her sealed home on a cot with her nine-day-old son, Ali. She said that she had been spending her days outside her sealed home with her nine-day-old baby.
A pregnant woman named Jyoti has been forced to sleep in the cold due to the Delhi sealing drive. She told NDTV that she has no place to live and has been continuously standing outside her sealed home. She does not even have space to sit. Due to her pregnancy, she is unable to stand or sit for long periods. She urgently needs safe accommodation and proper medical care.
A woman broke down in tears on camera after her home was sealed, leaving her without shelter in the winter cold.
"Our tears have not dried, and no one is coming to help us. We are sleeping outside in the cold winter weather. The media comes, ask us questions, and then leave, but nothing happens later. No leader is helping us. We have no arrangement for food. We did not vote for Rekha Gupta or Prime Minister Modi so that our homes would be sealed like this. Now, we feel completely helpless and have lost faith, and we do not wish to vote anymore," said a woman who did not wish to be named.
Another woman was sitting in an open field with her three-year-old son, who was ill and suffering from pneumonia.
NDTV visited the Uttar Pradesh Irrigation Department office to seek clarity on the action taken against the residents of Ali Gaon following the court order.
We attempted to speak with senior officials to understand the reasons behind the action; however, no official was willing to speak on camera or provide a statement.
The residents of Aali Gaon are now appealing to the Delhi Government and concerned authorities to intervene urgently - provide immediate shelter, food, electricity, and drinking water, de-seal their homes
ensure protection for infants, pregnant women, and elderly residents.
