The house where Aarati Chaudhary and her friends had been staying as tenants now lies demolished, its remains part of a three-storey building being cleared. Aarati, a bachelor’s level student, pointed towards the site and said, “Moving from this house was no small struggle; we had to leave in the middle of the night.”

After announcements through loudspeakers calling for the evacuation of the unplanned settlement along the banks of the Dhobi Khola in Anamnagar, Aarati and her roommates, Eliza and Archana Chaudhary, were gripped by panic. They worried about where to go and how to safeguard their belongings.

Originally from Bara, the three had been living in the settlement for the past two years. They knew the house was an unauthorised structure, but had not expected such an abrupt eviction. “We didn’t think we would have to move overnight,” Aarati said. “It was incredibly difficult.”

The landlord, they said, used to collect rent in advance. On Wednesday, he arrived as usual, and they paid Rs10,000 for two rooms. However, the following day, they were asked to leave as demolition work began.

Their parents urged them to find a new place immediately, but finding a room at such short notice proved impossible. They spent the night packing their belongings before moving them to a relative’s house in Gwarko. With no space inside, they stored their belongings in a garage—and slept there.

“Our brother’s room was too small. There was no space to sleep or keep our things,” Aarati said. “That is why we spent the night in the garage.”

She said that although rumours of eviction had circulated in the settlement for about a month, they had delayed searching for alternative accommodation, hoping the eviction would not materialise.

After spending a night in the garage, they have since moved their belongings to a nearby house. Pointing to a building close to their former residence, Aarati said, “We have managed to store our things for now, but we still don’t know where to go.”