Jai Bhim Nagar slum demolition: 750 Dalit families homeless, Baba Saheb’s great grandson Rajratna Ambedkar said- “We did not vote for BJP, so…”
In Mumbai’s Powai, the homeless families are living on the streets under the open sky for about 2 weeks, work is at a standstill, some NGOs are arranging drinking water and Khichdi etc. for these families.
Mumbai- Despite the clear rule in the Government Orders (GR) not to demolish illegal settlements during monsoon, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) demolished the homes of about 750 families in the Jai Bhim Nagar slum in Powai under the anti-encroachment campaign and made them homeless during the monsoon. It is said that this settlement was settled as a labor camp during construction work around 1984, after which three generations of working families started living here. Apart from Maharashtra, families from Bengal, Andhra Pradesh and other states are also included here.
This demolition drive took place on June 6, just two days after the announcement of the Lok Sabha elections. Hundreds of families who were rendered homeless due to the demolition of their houses have been forced to live under the open sky for the past two weeks.
Rajratna Ashok Ambedkar, the great grandson of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, the father of the Indian Constitution and the national president of The Buddhist Society of India, has warned of an agitation in support of the Jai Bhim Nagar slum dwellers. Rajratna Ambedkar sat on an indefinite strike on Tuesday, but the strike ended within a few hours after the official side offered mediation and assured a solution to the issue within two days.
In an exclusive conversation with The Mooknayak, Rajratna Ambedkar said that most of the families living in the slum belong to the Scheduled Castes and make a living by working as labourers, driving rickshaws or doing other odd jobs. “As per government rules, demolitions are prohibited between June 1 and September 30, but the Shinde government demolished the slums at the behest of the BJP, not only were the houses demolished but the worst part was that the police beat up innocent slum dwellers, women, children and the elderly were beaten up, even a pregnant woman suffered a miscarriage due to the police brutality, which is highly condemnable.” Ambedkar called the demolitions a gross violation of human rights and legal norms. He said the slum residents, who are mainly Dalits from various states including Maharashtra and West Bengal, were not given any prior notice before the demolition.
He stressed that the district collector’s permission is required to launch such anti-encroachment drives, which the BMC clearly ignored. Ambedkar said the rules clearly prohibit evictions during the monsoon so that slum dwellers do not have to live in an unsafe environment. “During the monsoon, they cannot force anyone to leave their homes, and there are several government resolutions regarding this rule that have been deliberately ignored,” Ambedkar said. Since the demolition, the slum dwellers have been spending day and night on the streets without shelter, food or clothing, and many of them are women and children who are not safe. To top it all, the police have registered false cases of stone-pelting and assault against those who protested during the drive.
Most of the families are from various Scheduled Caste communities and have been residents for 25 to 30 years. Describing the campaign as politically motivated, Ambedkar said, “The Lok Sabha election results were declared on June 4 and the demolition was carried out just two days later. After Varsha Gaikwad of the Congress party won the election from here, the BJP has taken action as a political vendetta.” Rajratna Ambedkar alleged that houses in areas where residents did not vote for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) were deliberately targeted, and called the act completely despicable.
The representatives who came to talk to Ambedkar demanded immediate action, including the provision of alternative housing for the displaced, suspension of the BMC officer responsible for the demolition and filing an FIR against the police officers involved in the violence. He stressed that the community will not rest until justice is served.
We want a middle way, the demand for houses for displaced slum dwellers is justified, they should be given houses at an alternate location, the opposition has asked for two days, if a proper decision is not taken in these two days then we will start our agitation again, the dharna has been temporarily lifted, Rajratna told The Mooknayak.
However, in a report by The Indian Express, a senior civic official said, “The GR is valid, but the demolition drive in Jai Bhim Nagar was carried out by the BMC based on court orders.” The demolition was delayed due to the model code of conduct being in place.
Meanwhile, officials claim that the land was privately owned but was given to Hiranandani Builder in 2007 for a temporary labour camp. When the builder did not vacate the land at that time, several individuals approached the MSHRC to vacate it, and attempts were made earlier to vacate it. HT reports that ward officer Bhaskar Kasgikar denied any possibility of temporary housing or compensation from BMC, saying, “The land is reserved for government offices. The owner will have to build them.” Meanwhile, The Mooknayak tried to get information about the homeless families. The Buddhist Society of India’s treasurer Shashikant Jadhav said that the police did not allow a sit-in protest in front of the Buddhist Vihar here on Tuesday. Some NGOs are providing drinking water to the people through tankers, khichdi and biscuits etc. are also being delivered by the volunteers of these organisations, but the families are in great trouble due to the stoppage of work.
Courtesy : Hindi News