India evictions during COVID-19 a “human rights crisis”
Thomson Reuters Foundation More than 250,000 people were evicted across India during the coronavirus pandemic, and millions more are at risk of being uprooted as authorities eye projects for faster economic growth, housing rights campaigners warned on Thursday. From March 2020 to July 2021, authorities demolished more than 43,000 homes and evicted about 21 people […]
DIY-style school helps educate Indian migrants facing eviction
Thomson Reuters Foundation A low-cost school that is easy to build and dismantle can meet the educational needs of migrants and those living in informal settlements across India, its designer said, urging cities to do more to remove the constant threat of eviction. ModSkool was designed for the children of farmers living along the Yamuna river […]
Court order to clear Delhi’s railway slums will cause “great distress”, activists warn
New Delhi, IndiaThomson Reuters Foundation India’s top court has ordered the demolition of tens of thousands of shacks alongside railway tracks in Delhi, a move that housing campaigners said could plunge nearly 230,000 poor residents into even deeper poverty. The Supreme Court, ruling in response to an affidavit filed by state-run Indian Railways, said 48,000 […]
Millions in India face eviction amid coronavirus recovery push
Thomson Reuters Foundation Thousands of people were evicted across India during lockdowns to contain the coronavirus pandemic, with millions more at risk of being uprooted as authorities push infrastructure projects to spur economic growth, housing rights campaigners said. At least 20,000 people were evicted from their homes between 16th March and 31st July, despite court […]
Health workers, slum dwellers face housing bias as lockdowns lift
Bangkok, ThailandThomson Reuters Foundation The easing of coronavirus lockdowns in cities around the world could lead to a rise in evictions of slum dwellers, housing experts warned on Wednesday, with healthcare workers and migrants also facing difficulties finding homes. More than six million people have been reported infected with the coronavirus globally, according to a […]
More than 11 million face eviction, displacement as India booms
Thomson Reuters Foundation At least 11 million people in India risk being uprooted from their homes and land as authorities build highways and airports and cordon off forests, activists said on Tuesday, undermining a government push to provide housing for all citizens by 2022. The estimate includes about 1.9 million indigenous families whose land claims […]
India evicting 30 people an hour as cities modernise, say activists
Thomson Reuters Foundation At least six homes are destroyed and 30 people forcibly evicted each hour in India as authorities modernise cities and build highways, activists said on Friday, highlighting the urgent need for greater investment in social rental housing. ‘Smart Cities’ projects and other upgrades were responsible for most evictions, data compiled by the […]