Hiranandani Gets Subsidies, Reprieve; Slums Get Demolished The struggle for housing rights continues in Mumbai by residents of Anna Bhau Sathe Nagar slums (which was demolished on 12th May by police action despite a stay order). Related Links
Officers in Mumbai Housing Scam?
Cities and cities
Slum Dwellers in Mumbai Demand Rights
Bangalore Closing Public Parks as Public Spaces
Slum Illegally Set on Fire, Demolished

On 20th May, the 8th day of the dharna of Anna Bhau Sathe Nagar slum dwellers social activist and actress Shabana Azmi and Architect PK Dass visited the dharna sthal to express their solidarity and support to the slum dwellers who have been on satyagraha for the last 8 days when more than 500 hutments were illegally bulldozed and burnt down by Government of Maharashtra.
 
Shabana Azmi said that it is a known fact that more than 6o lakh people who stay in slums, it is because of their labour only that a city like Mumbai functions and without their labour it can not work even for a day. And it is utter nonsense to say that people who work day and night can burn their own houses.

She further said that the land on which Anna Bahu Sathe Nagar stands is Collector land which means that it is Public land which means that the people have every right to stay on it. She ended her speech by saying that the women and the children who take the struggle ahead are her real source of inspiration and now this struggle is not only theirs but her also.
 
Slum dwellers are not just waiting for the meeting that is to be held tomorrow with concerned Ministers and officials but are proactively taking ahead their issues. This proactivness forced the local Member of Parliament to submit a public apology.

Hundreds of slum dwellers will be marching to Hiranandan Garden, Powai which is spread across 300 acres where land was given at the rate of 40 paisa per acre for the purpose of affordable housing. The upscale buildings of Hiranandani Gardens were built with blatant violations and illegalities. Hundreds of representative slum dwellers from all over Mumbai stormed into the illegal Hiranandani Gardens demanding demolition of the illegal buildings.

Ashok Chavan, Chief Minister of Maharashtra few days back commenting upon demolition of Anna Bhau Sathe Nagar had commented that illegal construction particularly of slums could not be tolerated. Slum dwellers today challenged him and questioned him that how he being the head of the State could tolerate and not take action against Hiranandani’s illegalities.

It is worth mentioning that after the disclosure of Hiranandani scandal MMRDA had recommended imposition of fine of Rs 2000 crores, which Urban Development headed by the Chief Minister reduced to Rs 200 crores. Slum dwellers questioned the same and demanded an explanation.

Sitting outside the Corporate Office of Hiranandani Developers Nasreen Bano of Mandala lamented the fact that the Government of Maharashtra was kind enough to give 300 Acres to Hiranandani at the rate of 40 paisa per acre but was reluctant to give 50 acres of Mandala land at 100 times more the price.

Slum dwellers from Anna Bahu Sathe Nagar, Mulund were joined in by Tribals from the nearby Aarey Colony where in spite of living there for generations, today they were being declared as ‘encroachers’.

Slum dwellers exposed the corrupt nexus that is prevailing amongst the builders-bureaucrats-political-financial institutions.

On 25th May, hundreds of slum dwellers from Anna Bhau Sathe Nagar yesterday participated in a post card campaign, whereby post cards in hundreds were written to the Chief Minister of Maharashtra demanding his intervention in the matter of the gross violations of the residents of the slum that was demolished and burnt down on 13th May.

Slum dwellers queued outside the local post office to post the letter to the Chief Minister. It has been more than 12 days but none of the politicians-officials, except the Member of Parliament have visited the area. While the locals have filed two complaints with the Mankhurd Police Station & Powai Police Station regarding filing of FIR against the Deputy Collector under Prevention of Atrocities Act and against Hiranandani Developers for cheating and forgery respectively.

On the evening of 25th May, Shri Abu Azmi, MLA visited the Anna Bhau Sathe Nagar dharna sthal and expressed his solidarity to the struggle of the slum dwellers who have been on satyagraha for their rights since 13th May 2010. Jameela Begum and Santosh Thorat questioned him over his 12 day long delay in visiting the dharna to which he replied that he was out of town all these days. Jameela lamented the fact that when it comes to voting, the slum dwellers are not considered as ‘illegal’ but only when it is giving them their due rights, be it housing or water that every one comes and declares them illegal, if their labour is required and wanted and not considered as illegal then how it is that their stay can be termed as illegal?

Shri Abu Azmi said that since he was out of Mumbai all these days, he could not visit the area for which he felt bad but now onwards he will be with people and what ever need be, he’ll try to fulfill the same. He also mentioned that he had tried contacting the Chief Minister of Mahrashtra and talk to hom regarding the gross violation of the rights of the residents, but was not successful as he himself mentioned that today “the government is more accessible to the real estate agents, rather than common people”. As a small contribution, he gave a cheque of Rs 10,000 to Lahuji Bhutekar, father of Shiva Bhutekar who died because of electrocution as a result of the illegal demolitions.

The struggle of the slum dwellers is to continue until their demand of affordable housing is met and they are also awaiting a response from the Ministry of Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation, Government of India with whom they have submitted a proposal under the recently introduced Rajiv Awas Yojana.

With support pouring from several quarters, slowly, the life is back in the slum with people going to their work but the threat of the bull dozers as well as that of rains loom large. Your further support is called for.  

Santosh Thorat  Nasreen Bano   Simpreet Singh Akhilesh Yadav  Ranjana Dixit  Parul Sethi Susheela Patel   Medha Patkar Posted by collective at May 27, 2010 04:02 PM