India, May 8 -- The Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) on Thursday issued eviction notices to 310 familiesof the centuries-old Yamuna Bazar Ghat area, near Kashmere Gate, giving them 15 days to vacate the area. The notice described the settlement as a "illegal encroachment" of the Yamuna floodplain in the O-Zone area and cited recurring flood risk as grounds for eviction. Residents, however, claimed that no formal survey of the area, where they have been living for generations, has been carried out and the move could impact their lives and livelihoods.

In a series of notices pasted to the walls and doors and circulated through the narrow lanes of the riverfront colony, the DDMA cited Section 34 of the Disaster Management Act, 200...