A/HRC/34/51/Add.1 with extreme use of violence, and often without ensuring due process or alternative accommodation and compensation.31 41. Forced evictions, displacement and demolitions are not uncommon practices, used by the central Government in some states to advance the economic development agenda of the country. National data on the number of households evicted each year is not collected by either level of government. Information collected by civil society suggests, however, that recourse to eviction is extensive, showing that between 2010 and 2015, close to 250,000 people in urban areas were forcibly evicted from their homes. 32 42. The mandate on adequate housing has received information about evictions in the past, 33 and the Special Rapporteur was informed during her visit that evictions are commonly carried out of the most vulnerable populations, those without security of tenure, for example those who are living below the poverty line, on pavements and in unrecognized settlements. Forced evictions are often implemented without any consultation with residents, without sufficient notice and commonly result in homelessness. 43. Genuine consultation with those affected, including about rehabilitation and relocation plans prior to eviction, is seldom carried out. While that may vary from state to state, when rehabilitation occurs, it is often on the peripheries of cities. By way of illustration, a study conducted in Baprola, on the outskirts of Delhi, found that the housing provided to evictees was essentially uninhabitable, unaffordable and possibly structurally unsound. The site was found to have limited transportation and residents had been located over 15 kilometres from their places of employment or livelihood. The site lacked essential services such as a local dispensary and Anganwadi centres (integrated child development services). Many children faced difficulties when transferring to government schools in the area, and as a result dropped out of school. Residents’ primary documents had not been updated to ensure that they had access to public benefits. In addition, buildings lacked ramps or elevators, rendering them inaccessible to persons with limited mobility. 44. Access to legal remedies for forced evictions appears to be scant in India. In most cases, forced evictions occur without a hearing and with impunity. In other cases, the community may have only a few hours to secure a stay of the eviction. 45. All of that is contrary to international human rights law and standards, under which forced evictions are considered a gross violation of human rights and must be avoided except in the most exceptional of circumstances and, when implemented, must be carried out in strict compliance with international norms.34 46. The Special Rapporteur learned that, while a few judicial decisions at the High Court level have delineated how evictions must be carried out, and the Delhi government has issued a moratorium on forced evictions, no relevant legislation or orders exist at the national level. In addition, the Special Rapporteur was recently made aware of evictions in Delhi, carried out by the central Government, which were not in line with the Delhi moratorium and guidance. 35 31 32 33 34 35 12 For international human rights standards on forced evictions, see Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights general comment No. 7 (1997) on forced evictions and the basic principles and guidelines on development-based evictions and displacement (A/HRC/4/18, annex I). Housing and Land Rights Network, Housing and Land Rights in India, p. 7. See, for example, A/HRC/13/20/Add.1, pp. 20-22. See Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, general comment No. 7 and the basic principles and guidelines on development-based evictions and displacement. Information on the relevant communication is to be made public in the joint communications report for the thirty-fourth session of the Human Rights Council.