Welcome to LCW’s latest newsletter!
This time our researchers bring two stories, from Delhi and Assam, where people have lost the places they’ve long called home. In Delhi, the 2023 G20 Summit and its aftermath triggered eviction drives that forced thousands of low-income families to leave their homes behind. In Assam, the Brahmaputra river continues to swallow vast swathes of land, displacing people and eroding not just farms, but livelihoods and a way of life.
These stories aren’t just about displacement. They raise questions about how we treat the most vulnerable, and whether our policies are doing enough to protect them. We’re also excited to announce our project ‘100 Stories of Commons,’ a public archive documenting community-led governance of commons.
Assam’s Silent Displacement Crisis
In Assam, the Brahmaputra river and its tributaries have eroded over 1 million acres of land since 1950. That accounts for nearly 7.4% of the state’s total area which is nearly the size of Delhi or Goa. The erosion has continued to wipe out entire villages and displace thousands. Each year, tens of thousands are rendered landless and homeless, forced to migrate in search of work. Today, many of them are working as daily-wage labourers in Kolkata, sending money home while living in hardship. The scale of displacement ends up creating conflicts elsewhere within Assam, with many being stuck in a cycle of eviction and discrimination as “illegals” or “_Bangladeshis_”. Despite the scale and persistence of this disaster, existing policies and schemes remain inadequate to address the long-term needs of those affected. Read the full report by Mahmodul Hassan for The Migration Story.
The Human Cost of Delhi’s ‘Beautification’
In the lead-up to the 2023 G20 Summit, Delhi witnessed a wave of evictions that uprooted thousands of low-income residents, raising urgent questions about whose city this really is. Delhi’s slum rehabilitation policy, meant to safeguard the urban poor, identified 675 slum clusters. However, for the slums not identified in those clusters, the result has been demolitions without warning, compensation, or a place to go. Across nine eviction sites, families were pushed out with little notice, their homes reduced to rubble. Read the full report by Nayla Khwaja for Article 14.
**Announcing 100 Stories on Commons **
We’re thrilled to launch 100 Stories on Commons in collaboration with the Common Ground Initiative, a network of 60+ organisations working on land rights, sustainable landscapes, and community-led governance. Through this project, we’re documenting powerful stories from across India where communities are protecting and managing their shared resources—forests, pastures, wetlands, and village lands—through collective action, traditional knowledge, and strong local institutions.
Over the next year, we’ll be bringing you 100 stories from across the country that exemplify the self-governance of commons, and the role they play in supporting livelihoods, and sustaining ecosystems.
We are currently tracking 967 ongoing conflicts in the LCW database. Last month, our researchers added 18 new conflicts and updated 13 ongoing land conflicts:
Court Upholds Slum Rehabilitation on Reserved Open Spaces Already Encroached With Strict Safeguards
In a significant verdict, the Bombay High Court upheld Regulation 17(3)(D)(2) of the Development Control and Promotion Regulations (DCPR) 2024 which permits slum rehabilitation on encroached open spaces like parks, if 35% of the land is kept as continuous open space. **The case, filed by Petitioners NGO Alliance for Governance and Renewal challenged the rule as unconstitutional and damaging to public green spaces like parks and playgrounds. The Court, however, found the regulation to be valid and balanced.
The petitioners argued that the policy was arbitrary and violated Articles 14 and 21, as well as the public trust doctrine. They said it sacrificed Mumbai’s green lungs to regularize encroachments, undermining environmental safeguards and equitable access to open areas. They contended it unfairly legitimized encroachment at the cost of long-term ecological and civic needs.
The Court upheld the Regulation, noting the long-standing presence of slums on such lands and the failure of earlier planning models. It found the 35% clause to be a genuine attempt to balance housing rights with environmental concerns. It also clarified the policy applies only to currently encroached lands, not unoccupied ones. The Court emphasized that both housing and environmental rights under Article 21 must be harmonized, and directed that open spaces in such projects be clearly marked and properly developed.
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Editor,
Vasudha Varadarajan
Creative Content Editor
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