Noida's Hindon Floodplain Residents Intensify Hunger Strike Over Power Demand
Residents of Noida's Hindon floodplain are conducting a hunger strike to demand formal electricity connections for their colonies. Protesters argue that despite living in the area for over a decade, they are denied basic utilities due to the land's classification as a flood zone, a designation they contest given the proximity of high-rise developments.
Why it matters
The protest highlights the ongoing tension between urban development, land-use policy, and the basic human rights of marginalized communities living in informal settlements.
A 15-day protest in Noida's Hindon floodplain area, also known as the Pushta, has intensified, with women continuing a hunger strike for the past week demanding formal electricity connections. NDTV spoke to Bharatiya Kisan Parishad national president Sukhbir Khalifa and two women protesters at the protest site near Parthala Bridge in Sector 123.Sukhbir Khalifa said 4 lakh to 5 lakh families have been living in the Pushta Park area for the past 10 to 12 years without electricity, water or basic facilities. "There are around 45 colonies, and in some places 60 to 70 colonies, without any proper electricity arrangement," he said.Referrring to the authorities' contention that the area falls in a flood zone, Khalifa questioned why electricity could not be provided there. "High-rise buildings are located barely 100 metres from the Hindon riverbank, while we are 1.5 km away. Other flood-zone areas in Allahabad, Agra and Delhi have electricity connections."
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