Long March to CM's Residence by 'Unauthorised Colonies' Residents and Workers of Delhi
November 10 2009
November 8, 2009
Friends,
Even though India is touted as a nation of villages, since Independence State has paid more attention to the development of the cities at the expense of the villages. As a result millions of landless dalits, adivasis, small farmers and poor villagers have constantly migrated to cities in search of jobs and earn their livelihood.
Once in city, these migrants somehow or the other manage to find work to support themselves but never a decent roof over their head. They always seek shelter in the slums or in the colonies developed and protected by the property dealers and land mafia on the land, which government claims as their own and hence calls these colonies unauthorized. Today in Delhi alone around 6 lakh people live in slums and around 7.5 lakh people live in their own houses built on the plots purchased from such land developers or property dealers. Of these families 95 percent depend on the informal sector for their livelihood.
Jan Sangharsh Vahini has been struggling with these people to provide basic facilities in their homes for quiet some time. We have also been actively resisting any such demolition of these so called unauthorized colonies in the city. Colonies which have already been demolished we have tried to rebuild them using the meager resources. We have also resisted any forced land acquisition by demolishing of these colonies and struggled to get regular electricity and water supply to these houses.
In its bid to showcase the best of Delhi for forthcoming Commonwealth Games the government has purchased expensive low floor buses, as a result they have doubled the bus fares from November 3rd. On one hand the prices of all the basic commodities have already gone high due to massive price rise, this added burden by hiking the bus fares is having a big impact on the living conditions of the working class population who earn 100-300 rs. a day. How does the government expect these people to survive in the city. It is a clear cut ploy at creating inhospitable conditions in the city so that they migrate from cities. In such a situation they can neither live in cities nor go back to villages since conditions are equally bad there.
In Delhi there are 1639 colonies which are devoid of basic amenities and after relentless struggle we have been able to get development work started in 1200 colonies till date, but it is yet to start in other colonies. Today the government has also stopped the subsidized electricity supply to these working class colonies as a result children are forced to study in the street light or not study at all.
Amongst these underdeveloped colonies is Gauri Shankar Enclave, Prem Nagar-3 where the development work has not started because some corrupt officials of DDA in collusion with others have started another file in addition to the one submitted by Gauri Shankar Resident Welfare Association. Nanu Prasad Gupta, a resident of Gauri Shankar Enclave, and member of Jan Sangharsh Vahini along with other members of NAPM have already met Sheila Dixit and D M Sapolia, Secretary, Urban development asking for cancellation of the duplicate file and action against the officials responsible for such fraud. However, no action has been taken till date.
Government on its own from time to time have prepared a list of colonies to be regularized but at the same time have gone ahead and demolished Dharam Veer colony, which was included in the government's list for regularisation, because they had to develop Rohini Sector 32. This is injustice and nothing else. Delhi government has sacrificed the lifes an livelihood of millions of working class population in the city and will continue to do so in the run up to the Common Wealth Games.
We the affected people from these colonies and the working class populations of the city who have been impacted severely by the sharp increase in bus fares invite you to join us for a long March to Chief Minister's residence, 3 Moti Lal Nehru Marg, New Delhi 110001. We will gather at 1130 at Ramlila Maidan near Delhi Gate then March towards CM's residence.
We demand that Delhi Government :
- immediately include 439 unauthorised colonies in to its development programme and provide them the basic amenities.
- Dharamveer colony be regularized and residents be rehabilitated.
- Rolls back the sharp increase in bus fare and rather than introducing highly expensive low floor buses pay attention to increasing the number of buses in the city.
- Continues to supply the subsidized electricity to residents of the working class unauthorized colonies.
Members of Bhumi Bachao Andolan, NAPM, Delhi Solidarity Groups and Sangharsh will also participate in the rally too. Do join us in large numbers and help us in seeking justice for the working class population of the city.
Yours sincerely,
Bhupender Singh Rawat, Nanu Prasad Gupta, Mahendri, Nirmala, ramakant Sharma, Mehar Singh, Phool Kumari, Phooldevi, Shobha and others from Jan Shangharsh Vahini.
Contact : 011&2506929, 9211382478 email jsvindia@gmail.com
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