Medha Patkar
Around 75,000 homes of urban poor were demolished in 2004-05 in Mumbai, that situation is still infront of our eyes.
Not only food and kitchen were thrown on the road but children too. Forget about older and sick, people at that time used to sleep near the dirt drains like dogs.
Seeing this condition of around 44 working colonies in Mumbai and the need of right to housing, social protection and equal share in the development and its benefits to urban poor of the country, we had to choose the way of struggle and resistance.
The mobilised strength of Ghar Bachao Ghar Banao Andolan have stood on this context and has been succesful in delaying the demolition and getting the homes for the working colonies. Thousands of poor got together not to beg but demand and even met the torch bearer of government policy body Margaret Alwa and Sonia Gandhi at their home with the rise of new urban question during Congress rule.
In every place and in each conversation we got assurance. But then also we had to take our struggles on the road and found that two and half month of struggle and getting beaten up by bamboos of the state was nothing but inevitable.
A death of the child was like martyrdom for the the movement.
We made home in Azad maidan , stood on the walls of Mantralaya and then did fast two times in Golibar raising the questions during the movement of inequality.
Issues were rigid: Government did not took away the available land at Rs 30000 according to urban land cieling act of corruption in Slum Rehabilatation Act while they gave Hiranandani builder land at 40 paise per acre ignoring the urban poor, Why ?
People who are not asking for free home, who earns from their work , who can no t buy one or two yard of land , but can exist as a collective unit and are ready to rehabilitate themselves as unit does not find support from the government. Why ?
Building home and policies were being only profitable for builders, then why don’t government allow urban poor to build their own home where they live by themselves?
Apart from all the questions, movement also gave alternatives and kept on the dialogue with the government. Not only with the state government but also with the central government.
The dream of Slum free city and the process to achieve it, we gave our suggestion, advice and raised our issues with the governement. Crores of people could be given home in Mumbai, but it should be need based. The foundation of the arguement was that land of ceiling should be used in the process and the fund should be raised from the land given for free in lease.
We accepted lot of issues in Rajjev Awaas Yojana. Cenral government, State government, Politicians and developers all sat together for it. We presented the first proposal. Officers came to survey the land. We gave the database and social assesment report. MHADA, BMC head advised us to be patient.
Mettings took place again and again ..we gave Mandala Plan as a site for the pilot project. We argued on the plan.
Don’t need forest mangrooves land, don’t want to cut a a single tree neither do we want to damage them. Will take land only for the home.
Till now 3200 households of Mandala did not get home. During the lok sabha election again Rajeev Awas yojana was taken up by candidates and everyone promised to give home to poor. Government changed and the yojana got dumped. We requested with all the legal paper to central minister, chief minister and various related departments to accept atleast this one pilot project.
Our one question is why not RAY in Mumbai ? 2009 was set up as cut off date for Delhi’s working colony and the yojana was implemented, why not for us ? The new government has no clear policy ! Before 2022 there is no housing for urban poor !
We need right to housing. Poor, Old, Children, Women workers should get the roof over their head. This is a constitutional right. India is signatory to many UN policy declaration. Many citizens of Mandala are Dalit, Tribal ,minorities and most of them are workers..
So, on 26 May we will reclaim the land which is infront of our eyes by making a shelter of 10*15 sq.feet for 3200 household.
We hope that the police who had always stood by the goons and the government will too support the urban poor this time. We invite the government, social workers and all common citizens of this country for the struggle ahead.
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