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Simultaneously, Solidarity protest marches and demonstrations have been staged in Badwani , Madhya Pradesh and New  Delhi . 

Hundreds of slum dwellers in Ranchi have come out in the streets and  staged angry demonstration to express solidarity with slum dwellers of Mumbai who have been  rendered homeless by builders’ lobby.

Meanwhile local leaders from various political parties paid visit to  Medha Patkar as she developed fever and high blood pressure.

The indefinite fast begun on 20th  May in the back drop of governments inaction against shivalik ventures , A Mumbai builder wherein  50% OF THE INVESTMENT HAS COME FROM 2 g SCAM ACCUSED  FIRM , Unitech.  Shivalik ventures  has rendered thousands of people in Golibar area of Mumbai  homeless and  made repeated attempts at bulldozing their houses in nexus with the  State Machinery. The builder has also been instigating violence and police atrocities against the residents of Golibar.

Shivalik ventures has  also encroached on railway and defence land besides indulging in various fraudulent activities.

According to activists of Ghar Banao, Ghar Bachao and the National Alliance for People’s Movement, this satyagrah is a last resort to get the pro-builder  land grabbing clause  from SRA   revoked which has been manipulated by the builder’s lobby in collusion with the State Machinery to render a large number of people homeless.  

As Maharashtra government continues demolition of slums to support development by Shivalik Builders in a project riddled with signs of corruption, Medha Patkar and others have started an indefinite hunger strike in police custody. The bulldozers at Golibar a 50 year old slum are once again out to demolish and evict the slum dwellers who have been fighting the corruption and land grab by Shivalik Ventures in which the 2G Spectrum scam ridden Unitech has a stake. In the past the slum dwellers have repeatedly opposed and exposed the illegal acts of the private developers who are all out to grab the land. It was only after the expose that the Chief Minister of Maharashtra scrapped the two 3K projects. This has been welcomed by us but we also await the scrapping of the Golibar Project. Yesterday when the slum dwellers opposed the eviction drive 12 slum dwellers including 6 women were arrested and today will be produced before the Magistrate.

Medha Patkar and nearly 50 people from other bastis were on their way to the Golibar area that they were detained and put in Kheruvadi police Station. Frustrated with the constant violation of the laws and open support to the Shivalik Ventures which has been riddled with corruption, as mentioned in the letter written to CM Prithviraj Chauhan yesterday Medha Patkar and others have started INDEFINITE HUNGER STRIKE in the police custody itself.

Yesterday it was a familiar scene. A hundred policemen crowded the narrow corridor that is the entry to our homes. The Collector’s men raised their mobile loudspeakers and read out a ‘33/38’ eviction notice, asking us to co-operate in their efforts to break their houses. It’s besides the point that in no language, legal or otherwise, does ‘eviction’ mean ‘demolition’. It’s also besides the point that the so-called notice was dated from more 90 days earlier, making it redundant as a legal order. Nor does it matter, perhaps, that the High Court has ruled in our favour in a (criminal) case of fraud and forgery against Shivalik builders – the very builders that the police and collector’s office came to serve today.

We all request you to kindly call the Chief Minister, Maharashtra-Office and request them to stop the forcible eviction of slum dwellers.
In Solidarity,
Medha Patkar,  Santosh Daonkar, Simpreet  Singh, Prerna Gaikwad, Ajit

Chief Minister, Maharashtra office-022 22025151 Fax No 022-22817068