A 25-member delegation consisting of slum-dwellers, hawkers, project-affected people in Mumbai and members of High Power Committee (formed to formulate Housing Policy), met the Minister of State for Urban Development and the Minister of State of Housing on 16 January 2008, to submit a plan that provides housing for 9 lakh (900,000) people. The plan which lays out feasible sources of land and financial sources required, as well as possible source of funds, was reached upon with inputs and suggestions from architects, housing experts and the slum dwellers. It also provides for the “floating” population and a system of common toilets to discourage influential classes acquiring the tenements, and 40% of the proposed land would be released for implementing reservations of the Development Plan. The ministers and officials promised to consider and respond to the proposal soon.

During the meeting, questions on demolitions and violation of land rights of the poor while protecting the encroachments of the rich were also discussed, and a judiciary enquiry was demanded on the issue of Hiranandani Gardens, in which land was given to the developers at the rate of 40 paise (“cents” in Indian currency) per acre while refusing to lease it to the poor even at a rent of 100 times higher.

At the end of the meeting, the delegation vowed to hold an indefinite dharna if the demands were not responded to at a given time period.

More than 70,000 huts have been demolished since December 2004, exposing displaced people to cold nights and other dangers. To stop the demolitions and to call for a people-friendly and participatory rehabilitation plan, Hotline Asia issued UA050225(1). While authorities have continued to demolish slum areas for expansion of airport and other areas, the affected people have taken various actions to affirm their right to the land. To know more about their struggle and issues, please refer to the UA and its subsequent updates.

Source:
National Alliance of People's Movements

In view of the increasing passenger traffic in Mumbai airport, the Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL) consortium with the Housing Development and Infrastructure has been charged with expanding the airport capacity by 2010 through the creation of a new terminal building and cargo facilities, as well as increasing runway capacity. Dharavi district, a shanty town near the airport, and home to 1.8 million people, is targeted to be “cleared” to allow for the extension and redevelopment.

This project is part of the government’s plan to enhance Mumbai’s status as a financial hub, as well as to eliminate the city’s largest shanty town which it claims is threatening the city’s growth.

In spite of the offer of mini apartments to families who can prove they have lived in the area prior to 1995 and which more than 57,000 families are expected to benefit, the residents say they cannot afford the cost of the apartments and fear they would lose the support network and all human contact. Moreover, they have their livelihood there. Earlier in August, a hundred of them marched to ask the government to consult them in finding a solution, stating that they built Dharavi and should not be asked to leave.

A demolition drive started in December 2004 when 70,000 huts were demolished, dislocating 300,000 people and affecting thousands of others. Hotline Asia issued UA050225(1) in February 2005 to support the local campaign against the transformation plan, urging for a proper resettlement plan and participatory approach in deciding any development and rehabilitation to benefit the poor.

Source:
AsiaNews

In February 2005, Hotline Asia issued UA050225(1) to support a campaign against the beautification plan of the Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Mr Vilasrao Deshmukh to transform Mumbai into Shanghai . The demolition drive that began on 8 December 2004 and continued until February 2005, where the Maharashtra government and the Brihan Mumbai Corporation (a municipal government body) demolished 70,000 huts, which they claimed to be illegal. In the process, 306 acres of land were cleared, dislocating over 300,000 people and affecting thousands of others.

On Sunday, 3 June 2007 several hundred slum dwellers encroaching airport land staged a protest against the eviction notices of the Deputy Collector. Residents of Gaodevi slum in Vakola made a bonfire of photocopies of the notices and reiterated their demands, mainly that rehabilitation must be done within the airport vicinity.

According to Antony Samy, secretary of a local NGO, Lokshahi Hakk Sangathana (Committee for Democratic Rights) which is among the several protesting federations, a majority of the slum dwellers of this area have refused to accept these notices on the ground that they cannot be evicted unless the Mumbai International Airport Private Limited (MIAL) "makes public its expansion plan and the state makes public the rehabilitation plan and accepts our demands".

According to the source, resident encroachers on 276 acres of prime airport land need to be rehabilitated for the upgrade of the Chatrapati Shivaji International Airport. Incidentally, on 31 May 2007, the state government extended the cut off date from 1 January 1995 to 1 January 2000 – only residents of houses build before this cut-off date can be eligible for rehabilitation as part of the airport clean up. It was observed that the terms ‘upgradation and expansion’ often includes evicting the poor to use their land to set up five star hotels.

Source:
Daily News Analysis (local newspaper)

The Maharashtra government was reportedly preparing to demolish post-2000 slums starting from 1 May 2006. Members of Legislative Assembly and Members of Parliament have pledged not to intervene in the demolitions. Ward officers of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) have assured Municipal Commissioner that they will bring down “illegal” post-2002 slums, but requested police cover and immunity from political pressure.

It was reported that slums in Indira Nagar, Kurla, were demolished on 25-26 April by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), with the help of the police. This was part of the Mithi river widening plan. The land was dredged with sludge which contains heavy metals such as lead, cadium, nickel and zinc. Buldozers rolled over houses without prior notice and everyone, including those physically handicapped, were lathi charged. After the demolition, 30 people, allegedly sent by Diwan builders, arrived with weapons in the night to terrorize the people. Yet the people have asserted their rights over the land and restarted their protest demanding rehabilitation and refused to get intimidated by the terror tactics.

It was also noted that instead of going with court order to widen 30m on each side of the Mithi river, only the side where Indira Nagar slum once stood was dredged, leaving the other side of Bandra Kurla Complex. Therefore it was questionable why only the poor urban areas were destroyed for development work, giving doubts on the democratic framework of the country.

Meanwhile, demolitions continue in other areas at Powai - BEST colony, Pathanwadi, Mahatma Phule Nagar, Milind Nagar, Bhimnagar and Morarji Nagar for widening of the river. According to the Mithi River Development Authority, about 2,500 shanties have been demolished.

Hotline Asia issued UA050225(1) in February 2005 to express concern about the massive demolition drive and to urge authorities to devise proper resettlement plan which is people-friendly. For more information on the demolition and related issues, please refer to the UA.

Source:
Eviction Watch
Local source

In another demolition on 6 - 7 February 2006, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) demolished 661 slum structures near Khar Danda in Santacruz (W) in Mumbai. The Bombay Urban Industrial League for Development (BUILD), an NGO, sent a team to investigate the matter and meet the affected people.

Among the concerns of the residents were the security of their remaining properties and their destroyed belongings, the education of their children, some of whom are preparing for the Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) examinations to be held few days after the demolition; they reported that they were not given prior information about the demolition of their dwellings, in spite of the leaflets which depicted that local MP assured that no demolition or rehabilitation would take place without any binding on cut-off year. They also complained of police manhandling.

The mushrooming of slums has been blamed by the nearby residential areas as sewage water entered their homes. Thus the deputy collector in charge of the area acted on the court instructions for this demolition. It was claimed that 315 slum dwellers who settled in the pre-1995 period, had been resettled.

Since 2001, around 1,300 slum structures were reportedly demolished by the MMRDA. It was reported that the administration did not consider the people's request to extend the demolition date for two months until after the board examinations, but razed the shelters without prior intimation. The people lost their dwellings, and children and elderly were facing the harsh winter climate.

Hotline Asia issued UA050225(1) in February 2005 to urge the Maharashtra State Chief Minister to fulfil its obligation on adequate housing standard by devising resettlement plans before any demolitions and to make rehabilitation plan more people-friendly and beneficial to the poor. For more information on the struggles of the slum dwellers facing demolitions in the State, please read the UA and the subsequent updates.

Source:
BUILD
Local Source

There was a brutal lathi charge by 40 policemen on 6 April at a demonstration by slum dwellers and representatives of the people's movement, injuring pregnant women and children as young as 9 months old. 22 of them, including social activist Ms. Medha Patkar, were arrested for blocking the road. They were protesting against the demolitions of their houses and demanding that the 300,000 displaced slum dwellers due to demolitions in December and January be resettled before the monsoon starts. Despite this brutal police lathi charge, 1000 protesters continue the Dharna at Azad Maidan, and were re-joined by the 22 arrested who were released at mid-night on personal bond.

In early May, the Congress NCP government officially indicated that it will implement the promise to extend the cut-off date for legalising slums to 2000, reportedly in response to a petition by a citizens group, Relief Road Residents Association, which challenged the government's decision to repeatedly extend protection to unauthorised slum dwellers since 1976.

The demands for rehabilitation continue. A sit-in protest was held at the Azad Maidan, Mumbai, on 16 May to demand for a comprehensive rehabilitation for the people affected by the demolitions and urging for a city with a humane face, equality and justice.

On 21 May, the Maharashtra government, represented by the Chief Minister, Mr. Patil and some government officials, invited the protesters for talks. They reportedly denied having demolished any pre-1995 houses during the mass demolition in December. However, a study done by a local NGO revealed that 25% of demolished houses were pre-1995, and the people took up the challenge to proof it also. Meanwhile, the National Alliance of Peoples Movement (NAPM) demanded that the State takes responsibility of rehabilitating each house which was demolished in the demolition drive, and which should be near the workplace or at their original place of residence.

In order to present a people-centric proposal of a humane urban development, a Consultation on Urban Development/Peoples conference was organized by the NAPM on 6 June 2005.

For more information about the massive demolition drive of slums in Maharashtra, which displaced 300,000 people, as well as their struggle for resettlement, please refer to UA050225(1) and subsequent update.

Source:
Local sources
National Alliance of Peoples Movement

There were further demolition of slums in spite of requests to stop them. The Brihan Mumbai Corporation (BMC) destroyed at least 675 huts at Rafiq Nagar on 5 March. Sources report that there was massive police presence during the demolition drive. It was reported that the Mumbai administration has demolished 90,000 huts in Mumbai over the three month period, excluding those demolished in other cities.

On 7 March 2005, the Congress Party decided to regularize the "pre-2000" slums, but those houses built after 1995 will not be rehabilitated with free housing (reportedly to discourage people from constructing illegal hutments). As per the Party's resolution at their coordination committee meeting, the hutments will be demolished "only when deemed an obstacle in creating infrastructure or if they stand on an encroached territory."

The government's bulldozing invited opposition from many, including the Congress Party's Mumbai unit and the Nationalist Congress Party.

The Mumbai-based Federation of Centres for Community Organisation (FCCO) organized a solidarity meeting with women on 3 March. After the testimonies of the women, as well as sharing from the 2 activists arrested for protesting, more than 500 signatures were collected from the participants.

In response to the massive demolition drive of slums in December 2004, which evicted over 300,000 people in Mumbai to make way for "turning Mumbai into Shanghai," Hotline Asia issued UA050225(1) to request the authorities to devise resettlement plan before undertaking demolitions and to involve the people in the rehabilitation plan. The protest against the eviction drive have been made by the people as far back as 1997 when MBC made its first move of eviction to demolish 35,000 pre-1995 "unauthorized" structures in October 1997. HL/ACPP 971017(7) "35,000 Slum Huts to be Demolished" was issued to protest the massive demolition with the same requests.

Source:
Federation of Centres for Community Organisation
Local source