 A
petition demanding Maharashtra Chief minister
Vilasrao Deshmukh to address the plight of 80,000
Mumbai slum residents whose houses had been
demolished without a proper plan for rehabilitation
was handed to him in Atlanta, GA on June 29, 2005.
The petition put forth by Association for India's
Development[AID] and signed by several hundred
Indian-Americans and Non Resident Indians (NRIs) was
handed to Mr. Deshmukh, while he was meeting with
the faculty of Georgia Institute of Technology in
Atlanta. Their demands to the Government of
Maharashtra were:
Vilasrao Deshmukh
* Provide immediate relief to the demolished slum
dwellers of Mumbai so that they can fend for
themselves against the monsoons.
* Plan schools for children so they do not fall
behind in their education.
* Mobilize health workers and doctors to take care
of the displaced people.
* Announce an immediate date by which the land will
be given to all the demolished families who
came to Mumbai before year 2000.
On receiving the petition the Chief Minister's only
response was that there was nothing to worry about
and things are being taken care of. No details were
provided.
The affected families of this large scale demolition
of slums are left with no roofs over their heads.
With the onset of monsoons, children and women are
facing greater problems. The petition raises some
relevant and disturbing questions - How and when
will the land in east and west suburbs of Mumbai be
distributed to the families whose houses were
demolished? Where are the children (100,000 children
were thrown out of schools due to demolitions)
admitted for school? "Affordable
and accessible housing is our right. The state
exists to protect our rights" said Chandrika
Ramanujan, a signatory to the petition.
The petition was initiated amid concerns in the US
about the predicament of the slum families, their
protests and the slowness of response by local
authorities. Before embarking on the trip to the US,
the Chief Minister had promised to conduct joint
surveys to identify families who settled in Mumbai
prior to 2000 and grant speedy relief and
rehabilitation within Mumbai.
Dr. Govindaraj, a professor at Georgia Institute of
technology and the faculty advisor of AID-Atlanta
Chapter said, "As an engineering educator actively
working to help India's advances in science and
technology, I am deeply concerned that many of these
advances may be happening on the backs of the poor.
It is my sincere hope, and wish, that the Government
of Maharashtra acts speedily to take care of its
displaced citizens. "
"People not profits should be at the center of any
developmental work. We believe that development
should start with core human values and this alone
can build an India that can sustain the dreams of
its billions of people." said Ravi Kuchimanchi,
founder of AID. The US based non-profit organization
has chapters in 40 cities across the USA dedicated
to the underprivileged sections of India.
--Prashant, Jawalikar, Alka Roy, Sudarshan
Suresh, Srinivasan Seetharaman
Resources:
----------
1. Petition to Maharashtra CM regarding Mumbai Slum
Dwellers rehabilitation:
http://www.petitiononline.com/AID0561/petition.html
2. Association for India's Development:
http://www.aidindia.org
Press Contacts:
---------------
1. Prashant Jawalikar- 510 825 7010
2. Srinivasan Seetharaman 678-467-2654 (Atlanta)
3.
info@aidindia.org
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