Migration, Duplicate Addresses Complicate SIR Exercise in Delhi’s Unauthorised Colonies, Slums

 Decades of migration, split households and duplicate addresses are complicating Delhi's SIR voter roll revision in unauthorised colonies and slums, forcing Booth Level Officers to navigate through changing neighbourhoods as they verify electoral records.

A house number is expected to identify one property. In east Delhi's Rani Garden, a pocket in Geeta Colony, it can be shared by two or even three.

In the unauthorised colony, where narrow lanes have grown over decades, families have expanded, plots have been divided, new structures have come up around old jhuggis, and residents have shifted to nearby rented houses without moving far from their original neighbourhood.

"There are houses where two or three properties carry the same number because owners built another house later. When we go for verification, they tell us both belong to the same family. Naturally, it creates confusion," said Bankey Lal, a Booth Level Officer (BLO) who has been handling the area since 2016.

Rani Garden's original cluster consists of around 325 jhuggis laid out in serial order from A-1 to A-325. Over the years, however, families grew, new constructions appeared, houses were sold, rebuilt, or partitioned, while numbers often remained unchanged.

"The serial numbers made sense earlier. But later people bought houses elsewhere, shifted on rent or built additional portions. That's why the numbering no longer reflects the way the colony has grown," said Noor Mohammed, a Delhi Congress worker who was born and brought up in the area.

Noor explained that most families trace their roots to parts of Uttar Pradesh, particularly Bijnor and Farrukhabad, while many others migrated from Bihar and Jharkhand in search of work decades ago. Although they have spent years - and in many cases generations - in Delhi, their electoral records often remain linked to their native villages.

For Lal, identifying such cases has become an important part of the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR).

"We explain that a voter should be registered only at one place. If someone has already kept their name in their village, they shouldn't keep another registration in Delhi. Initially, many ask why it is necessary or argue with us, but we explain the rules," he said.

The BLO said he supervised 853 electors and around 330 names were deleted over the last six months after following the prescribed process. By 2 pm on the first day of the SIR exercise on Tuesday, he had distributed only about 40 enumeration forms.

Residents who have shifted permanently often remain on electoral rolls for years, Lal said.

"For three or four years, we have kept taking voter slips, but nobody has been found at the address. Even then, we leave the slips because they may return. Only after repeated visits do we tell them to update their address through Form 8. If they don't, the deletion follows the Election Commission's procedure," he explained.

He added that outdated voter identity card photographs are another recurring issue.

"Many people are still carrying childhood photographs. We ask them to update those as well," he added.

Residents said one need only step inside homes to understand how dramatically the colony has changed over the years. As families grew and houses became too small, many simply moved across the lane or into nearby rented accommodation, staying within the same neighbourhood.

Originally from Uttar Pradesh, Samiuddin moved to Rani Garden in 1990. What began as a six-member household has grown into an extended family of nearly 20.

"When we first came here, all of us lived under one roof. Then my brothers got married, children were born, and the family kept growing. There wasn't enough space anymore, so two of my brothers moved with their families to a rented house just across the lane. We are still one family, just living in two houses now," he said.

Such stories are common across the colony, where expanding families have gradually spread into neighbouring houses without actually leaving the locality.

As a result of migration, the BLO said many families have electoral ties to two places.

Tahir, a businessman originally from Uttar Pradesh's Bijnor who has lived in Delhi since 1992, said he continues to remain registered as a voter in his native district because his family's ancestral property is there, while his children are getting themselves enrolled in Delhi.

"My vote is still in Bijnor because that's where our ancestral property is. But my children have grown up here, so we are getting their names added in Delhi," he said.

The ongoing revision has also caused some anxiety among some residents, particularly those with incomplete documentation.

Noor, who also runs a local NGO and often helps residents with civic issues, said people living in jhuggis or families whose documents were destroyed in house fires are among those worried about the verification exercise.

"Some families are worried because their documents were lost or destroyed, including in house fires. We tell them not to panic. We explain what documents can be obtained again, help them with the process and guide them to the BLO whenever required," he said.

He further encouraged residents to call 1950, the voter helpline, which offers a "Book-a-call with BLO" service to address election-related queries and grievances.

Geeta Colony Block Congress Committee president Dhiraj Kanwar said party workers and booth-level agents have also been assisting residents with the exercise by explaining the forms, helping them verify their details and directing them to the BLOs whenever corrections are required.

More than 13,000 BLOs began the Special Intensive Revision across Delhi on Tuesday, distributing enumeration forms across the capital's 70 Assembly constituencies.

They have been directed to visit households during mornings, evenings, and weekends, while recognised political parties are assisting the exercise through their booth-level agents.