Condemn Bhaimrao wada Slum Evictions: Write to concerned authorities for action
Rakesh Reddy Dubbudu
29-30, 'A' Wing First Floor, Haji Habib Building,Naigaon Cross Road ,
Dadar ( East) Mumbai- 400014
Phone: 91-22-24150529 , E-mail: napm...@gmail.com
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*CONDEMN BLATANT EVICTION OF POOR SLUM DWELLERS IN BHIMRAO WADA, HYDERABAD*
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*SEND LETTERS OF ACTION TO CONCERNED AUTHORITIES***
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*On the eve of the 122nd formation day of the Congress party in Andhra
Pradesh, the government coming to power in the names of the poor and the
dalits-marginalized, demolished Bhimrao Bada an 80 years old (4 generations)
a slum community. As the name suggests, the Basti named after Bhimrao alias
Babasaheb Ambedkar faced the brutal attack apparently for the plans to
expand or rebuild Ghandi Bhavan, this time in remembrance of not Mahatma but
Indira! ***
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*The demolition that took place at 4 am with a 'sena' of bull dozers, and a
huge (hundreds, strong police force) was surprisingly just the day when
Rashtrapatiji Pratibha Patil was here! Is the timing deliberately chosen? If
not anything else, the early warning time when it was still dark was, for
sure to avoid people's resistance. ***
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*Since, right now the Courts would remain closed till end of the year 2008!
In the process there was no notice issued and if at all, the government
could only claim of warning the residents only on the basis of notices
issued months before but not 24 hours before, as is required to be done! ***
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*The bulldozing of this 80 years old community with pukka houses, built with
the sweat and blood of the families of men and women in unprotected work,
many of the families being single- widow headed was no doubt brutal. Force
was used by male and female police who pulled the hair, lifted persons, even
lathi charged but without leaving a wound to leak! Many of the hard earned
belongings of the working class families were broken or destroyed. Many of
the families belonging to the Gangapurtra clan were originally fish workers
but now engaged in various other forms of unprotected work. ***
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*The children, women and the aged, all were arrested for peaceful protest.
When the brother of Chiranjivi, the nearly emerged political 'actor' was
also arrested while standing by the screaming people, politicians came in
with a competitive yet supportive spirit and none else but Chandra Babu
Naidu along with CPI (M) leaders too courted arrested. The activists of
people's organisations, Sister Selvin, Ashfaqullah & Bilal of CHATRI were
spared, but targeted for entering the land full of rubble. ***
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*The scene of demolition which has no place in the national slum policy
which speaks mainly of regularisation, improvement and development of urban
slums was no doubt violation of human rights but also a blatant legal
violation. First and the fore most, this 'notified' i.e regularised slum
that was suddenly de-notified in April was knowingly to give way to the
Congress Party use the land to build its new office- 'Indira Bhawan', close
to the present one, Gandhi Bhawan. The land in possession of the 95 families
on which many a civic amenities were also provided with lakhs of rupees
worth expenditure, by the Municipal Corporation of Hyderabad, was to be
transferred not for a public purpose but for party's political purpose-
which is obviously a fraud. ***
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*The basic issue here is one of right to the land on which a poor locality
exists. While the corporates are getting lands leased out at throw away
prices, the urban poor do not have any right, not even usufructory right to
the land under their habitats since generations. It, therefore becomes easy
to evict the community even without its consent and force' unwilling
'rehabilitation' on to them. The claim made in the case of Bhimraowada by
State government of AP has been that the houses for them are ready at
Dhobighat area, 3 to 4 kms away. The families evicted are, therefore, dumped
forcibly into the new buildings with the remaining belongings by the police
and authorities. ***
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*When we visited this resettlement site this morning at around 7.30 am, we
found the women and youth to be furious about the forcible eviction and the
brutality of the police authorities. The officials present were only of the
Municipal Corporation of Hyderabad who had this excuse to say that they were
there to provide civic amenities and had nothing to do with eviction. The
people were however questioning them and calling them a part and parcel of
the State. The houses were not acceptable to the families for more than one
reason. First and foremost those are far away from their earlier place of
residence especially for toiling women. Secondly, out of 95 families at
Bhimrao wada, about 20 are left out of the list unilaterally prepared by the
Govt authorities. We found out that one or two members of larger families
were left out and hence the grievance. There were even widows who were
excluded and the same was found to be very painful and unacceptable.***
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*These poor families living on hand to mouth existence found that the new
houses were almost the same size of their earlier ones and found no reason
for their displacement, even while the right to land was not recognised. Why
could not they be rehabilitated there only as they were promised at various
times earlier and also during the dialogue that was brokered by the local
MLA is a question that remains unanswered? ***
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*It is obvious to us that the land grab the Congress Party was related to
the fact that the Bhimrao Wada was located in an elite area while they are
now dumped in ''garib nagar" a vast area with many kinds of unprotected
workers residing. We also found that the land under the new buildings indeed
belonged to two communities of fishermen and washermen, the fight amongst
themselves over the right to land which happened to be a graveyard (the
remnants we could even see today) has gone to the court although, we are yet
to see the papers which, we are told, include a contempt petition. The
resettlement offered to the evicted families cannot, therefore, be accepted
in this form and unless the land rights issues are resolved and the people
of Bhimrao wada find it to be acceptable. ***
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*The slogan of the people her, as elsewhere, is "Let us live where we were".
The political parties having joined the struggle, even if with the upcoming
elections in mind, has no doubt helped the people, while the Congress has
given them an opportunity which can be considered as most unstrategic, with
TDP declaring a state wide protest day. We, the people's organisations, with
CHATRI our ally in Hyderabad working with Bhim Rao wada and other bastis
have to prepare ourselves to prevent the divide and rule politics and ensure
that politicisation of such issues do not lead to further betrayal.
Kumarayyia the local leader, with Rukmini and other women leaders are up
against state atrocities and for their right to livelihood and shelter both.
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*Let no Bhawan in the name of Gandhi, Bhimrao or Nehru become a cause of
deprivation and engine of destitution for the poor that continues to be part
of the urban development and is protested and challenged to by in every city
and town. ***
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*Do raise your voice against this injustice and make your protest known to
the authorities: ***
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*Fax/E-mail your letters ***
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*Ø** **Dr.Buta Singh,
Chairman<http://ncsc.nic.in/writereaddata/contactimages/40.pdf>
**, National Commission for Scheduled Castes ***
*Fax: 011- 24632298; E-mail: **chairm...@nic.in ***
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*Ø** **Chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission ***
*Fax: 011-23384863; E-mail: chai...@nic.in ***
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*Shri Y.S. Rajashekara Reddy, Chief Minister. Andhra Pradesh ***
*Fax: 040-O23452498, 23454828 (Res) 23410555 ; E-mail: cm...@ap.gov.in
<cm...@ap.gov.in%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20>
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*Ø** **Smt. Sonia Gandhi, Chairperson, Indian National Congress ***
*Fax: 011- 23018651; E-mail: sonia...@sansad.nic.in ***
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*Ø** **Chairman, Andhra Pradesh Human Rights Commission ***
*Fax: 040-24601573; E-mail: aphuma...@ap.nic.in***
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*Medha Patkar
Ramakrishnam Raju,***
*National Convenor, NAPM Convenor, Andhra
Pradesh (NAPM)***
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*Sister Selivin and Ashwaq bhai Bilal bhai ***
*Campaign for Housing and Tenurial Rights Human Rights Forum***
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--
Rakesh Reddy Dubbudu
BHUMI
www.bhumi.in
weblog: http://rakesh-will-do-it.blogspot.com/
+91 9885419012
There are only two options,
Either 'you Change' or 'Change the system'
I chose the second one!!!!
Prasanthi Uppalapati
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Thank you.
with regards,
PRASANTHI.
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When you want something, the whole universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.
