Hotline Asia Urgent Appeals -- UA990309(4)

Upholding Housing Rights for People
~ INDIA ~
09 March 1999

Action Requested || Sample Letter || Background
 

Summary

Housing rights are a fundamental right of people and solutions to problems posed by rapid urbanization are needed. According to the Indian President K.R. Narayanan, it is foreseen that 50 per cent of the population will be affected and stressed the need to provide affordable housing. The 1991 census had estimated that there was a shortfall of nearly 19 million houses and will reach 41 million by the year 2000. Recently in February, around 200 households in the slums at Prakash Nagar in Mahim of Mumbai (or Bombay) were forcibly evicted by the police and over 33,000 slum huts at Sanjay Gandhi National Park, Borivli have been demolished by the forest department. Reports from different pavement communities indicate impending evictions. A previous Urgent Appeal HL/ACPP 97/1017 (7) on demolition of slum huts in Goregaon, Bombay was issued in October 17, 1997.
 
Action Requested

Please write polite letters to the Indian government -
1. expressing concern about the police brutality during the forced eviction of slum dwellers at Prakash Nagar and the demolition of slum huts at Sanjay Gandhi National Park in Mumbai
2. calling for the protection of the housing rights of people by Central and State governments

Send letters and faxes to:  
1. President K.R. Narayanan
Office of the President
Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi 110 001, India		 Fax : 91-11-301 7209
2. Chairperson of National Human Rights Commission
Sardar Patel Bhavan, Sansad Marg, New Delhi 110 001, India		 Fax : 91-11-334 0016
c.c. Copy to:  
Diplomatic representatives of India in your country.  
 

Sample Letter

We write with deep concern about the recent reports that the slums in Prakash Nagar and at the precincts of Sanjay Gandhi National Park, in Bombay were demolished in mid February. We have learned that the houses were razed to the ground and 12 men and 16 women slum dwellers were seriously injured by the police, and many of their proofs of residence as of January 1, 1995 were also destroyed during demolition. We believe that the right to adequate and just housing is a basic right of the people. We therefore urge that a halt be put to further demolition. We also hope that the housing needs and rights of those who are likely to be displaced by development projects be protected by the Central and State governments.
 

Background

(I) Recent Forced Eviction by Police At Prakash Nagar

On February 12, 1999, from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., it was reported that the houses of 200 households in Prakash Nagar in Mahim were destroyed to make way for the construction of a bridge. Three bulldozers with a hundred police and municipal officials systematically razed houses made of plastic, cardboard and packing paper. People allege that in the process of eviction, no prior notice of the demolition was issued.

Sources claimed that 12 men and 16 women were injured by the police who beat them with lathis (cane sticks used by police) and threw stones. Mallika (aged 35) had her hand fractured, Bibi Bashir Sheikh (aged 22), who was two months pregnant, had a miscarriage following the police beatings. Another woman, Anjamani Padyachi (aged 23) had to have six stitches on her head.

The settlement of Prakash Nagar lies between the Police Colony and the railway tracks between Mahim and Bandra. Most of the inhabitants are construction workers, domestic workers and waste recyclers coming from Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Utter Pradesh and other regions, living there for the last 15-20 years. Basic amenities are lacking in the settlement.

According to sources, about 55 people have proof of residence since January 1, 1995, in the form of ration cards or names on the electoral roll. These made them eligible for the State Government free housing scheme. The Prakash Nagar demolition is believed to be the first in a series of another 'clean up' drive in the city. Meanwhile, there is no government policy for those who are unable to show proof of residence as of January 1, 1995.

(II) Demolition of Slum Huts by Forest Department At Sanjay Gandhi National Park

During the second week of February 1999, another demolition of over 33,000 slum huts took place at Sanjay Gandhi National Park by the forest department. Over 85,000 slum dwellers have been residing in various colonies in Ambedkar Nagar, Jamrushi Nagar, Pimpripada, Azad Nagar and Shanti Nagar which are in the precincts of the National Park, for more than a decade. The residents allege that they had not been issued any notice by the forest officials before the demolition and their original documents were lost during the demolition.

The deputy conservator of forests claims that the residents refused to move out in spite of repeated warnings. It was mentioned in the Forest Conservation Act that only those people whose names are present in the voters list of 1995 are eligible for rehousing. At the time of reporting, the forest officials were still compiling the list of slum dwellers who have been legal residents of the area for the last decade.
 

Please remember to send copies of your letters to Hotline Asia for monitoring purpose.
Thank you for Your Continued Support!!