Basundhara Banejee
“Matka Lekar Aaye Hain, Paani Lekar Jayenge”
People of Ambujwadi, a slum in Malad, Mumbai marched to P North BMC ward office yesterday with the strong conviction to get the water rights for their community as even after more than two decades, the BMC has not laid down the water lines whereas at the same time has provided services to the corporate and rich of the city on time. The march was led by Ghar Bachao Ghar Banao Andolan, which works for housing rights of working colonies since 2005 in Mumbai.
Almost 3000 people (the slum dwellers of Ambujwadi )have gathered and protested in a massive rally from the slum to P (North) Ward in Liberty Garden, Malad, Mumbai.
A united struggle by the Ghar Bachao Ghar Banao Andolan , that this slum got electric substation last year from TATA Power, but till now they don’t have access to basic needs like water (one of them).
From the last 20 years, the residents have been buying water from tankers and nobody has done helped them in solving the problem. The residents have been requesting since 1995. That is why they finally decided to take recourse to direct action today and marched to the ward office.
” even we don’t have water to feed or cook for our children, sometimes our children sacrifice their bath in order to have enough water to use for other purposes” told a group of women in that rally.
“We are living here for 20 years,still whenever we are going to BMC office they just unheard our voices by saying -we are living illegally, they don’t even accept our applications ” told one of them.
Everyday they go around 3 to 5 KM in order to get water at 4.30 or 5 ‘o clock in the Morning. They are using Mumbai Boring water ,which is at the same time, taken a toll on their health and skin.
The people are now fed up by the local officials and the authorities in that area.
20-25 years is a long time to give access to any of the basic needs that they are deprived of like water, basic sanitation ,roads and schools e.t.c
“Water is our right .Thus we don’t have to beg for it, they have to provide us our basic right and what is ours .” told one of the protest coordinators .
Till late evening, nobody from the ward office came to hear their demands.
Some of the higher officials came to convince them , but they were not at all reluctant to go away until their demands have been fulfilled.
BMC didn’t even bother to care about them, they themselves managed to arrange for water to drink .
Later in the evening only, Sangita Hasnale, Ward Officer came and met the protestors. She was unaware of the problems which the community is facing since long time and promised them that she will visit the slum and will enquire about the situation, meeting with community representatives of their movement .They will again meet on coming Monday (Dec 7th).
From November Print Issue
It was 9 A.M in the morning of 2nd Dec 2015 , while a sunny and bright atmosphere is all around in Mumbai ,nearly 3000 slum dwellers of Ambujwadi, Malad gathered to protest for one of their basic needs or rather rights – that is access to water. It was more than just a rally , it was for their necessity – mixed with their emotion, angst and a suppressed felling of being ignored for almost two decades that out-burst through this march once again.
The walk was from Ambujwadi slum to P -North ward BMC office, Malad. As ignored a place as their existance till date (as per BMC) , not to forget they are about 50,000 people , who are staying in Ambujwadi and since 1990 or so they are demanding for their basic needs like electricity, water, sanitation , roads, schools which they are deprived of. A year back , through a united struggle by the ‘Ghar Bachao ,Ghar Banao ‘ andolan that this slum got electric substation last year from TATA Power- who took the initiative to light up their lives by providing electricity in their slums, but that doesn’t lessened their problems .
“Every time we approach for this to the Local administrator or BMC officials , they refused to even taking the application , forget about ‘addressing’ the problem .They ignored us by saying we are staying their illegally ,but we are here since 20-25 years, how can it be illegal “ said a group of old men who were walking under the scorching Sun. .
The denial of basic amenities like water, due to non implementation must be treated as the blatant violation of fundamental rights under article 21 of the Indian Constitution and, section 5 of the Maharashtra Slum Act, 1971, which have given right to slums, the right to get water and also ignorance to the order of Bombay High Court, which ensured water right to each slum in existence.
One of the affected sections : ‘children’ of that community. Their mothers repented that their kids wake up at around 5 o clock to get water from a place that is at a distance of 4 to 6 k.m. and sometimes they sacrifice their bath and hygiene in order to make food or have some water to drink for their families. Toddlers have faced even bad days .
“Everyday we spend around 80 to 100 bucks for drinking water, we need it , we require around 3 to 4 gallons per day for drinking “ said one lady who came here from Gujarat in 2005 , for whom , situation has worsened by every passing day.
Even after they are having their essential documents ,i.e- voting id, driving license, and many other important papers as per the government regulation, they were charged with illegal resident of Ambujwadi. It was assured to them if they are living here before 2000, then they must get all the facilities like electricity and water. It has been more than 20 years now, and BMC is still reluctant to provide them water connection .
Even when the whole rally finally reached the BMC office, Malad, many officials were not there to even negotiate the problem and many of them were not aware of this persisting problem (They already have protested regarding this earlier in 2013 and 2014 , but their pleading remains unheard till now ).
BMC’s callous nature has made them even more furious this time and they sat in front of the office and demanded their voices not to make ‘unheard’ this time. So , they shouted “ Matka Le kar aye hain, Panni Le kar Jayenge” (We came here with a earthan pot, we will return by taking water ). They even made their own arrangement for water to quench their thirst. The officials were informed 3 days prior, still out of arrogance they didn’t even bother to come out and they were hiding behind the gates of BMC.Someone from the morcha shouted that “women majorly faced the problems , so they must lead the MORCHA.” This whole delay in response from the authority created a huge chaos in that area and that eventually led to traffic conjestion in that area.
Later in the evening only, Sangita Hasnale, Ward Officer came and met the protestors. She was unaware of the problems which the community is facing since long time and promised them that she will visit the slum and will enquire about the situation, meeting with community representatives of their movement. The schedule of the next meeting is on 7th of Dec, 2015.
While returning with them , the question still remained the same. BMC is providing waters to multiplexes and many newly built residential complexes in last couple of years , then why such casual approach towards these people ,who are deprived of one of the basic rights of their life ??
After a long discussion on 7th of December, the authority of BMC has decided that they will provide water facility to the people who were living there before year 2000.
(Basundhara is a student of School of Media and Cultural Studies ,TISS,Mumbai and is interning with ‘The Sabha’)
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