Noida Police constables sitting outside their hutment said the family will move around 1.30 pm-2 pm and they will be provided water and food. (Express photo)Metres away from the Supertech twin towers, three families on the Jaypee flyover side sat outside their huts Sunday morning to watch the demolition. While residents from high-rise buildings were being shifted to temporary accommodation, these families claimed they were left behind.
Fifty-year-old Hansraj, his wife and their daughters started packing their food and towels around noon. “We have been living on the side of the flyover for more than 10-12 years now. I remember when the builders started the Supertech construction. I never cared for the building or the violations. We only found out about the demolition a few days ago. I didn’t know it would happen.
Nobody approached us or asked us to move. A few policemen showed up in the morning and asked us to stay on the ground across the road. We don’t mind.”
His wife, Lekha, added, “Where else will we go? We will just sit on the ground. I prepared meals early in the morning for the family. We will eat our food once the demolition starts.” Noida Police constables sitting outside their hutment said the family will move around 1.30 pm-2 pm and they will be provided water and food.
The family stayed near the barricades during the demolition and soon came back to their hut and locked it.
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Meanwhile, Reshma and her sister-in-law Lekha, waited for their husbands to come back from the general store. “My husband told me people from different societies were taken to clubhouses. Nobody came to us, maybe because we live near the flyover. Seeing the media and police, I thought the police would push us out but they have not. They told us we can stay here and go to the ground around 2-2.30 pm. We might go to the park nearby because my son wants to see the demolition.”
The family stayed in the small forest area near the flyover and didn’t go to the ground. The police didn’t remove them.
When asked about the residents of the huts, a senior officer from Noida Authority said, “The flyover was a safe space for the media to see the demolition. We didn’t forget about anyone or put them in danger. Also, the families were informed days ago about the demolition and health risks. Last night, most of the families moved from their huts and went to some other place. Only a handful were left here. We also didn’t push them as locals flocked to the spot to witness the demolition.”