GBGB: First Convention at Azad Maidan - 2
Duration: 00:57:16; Aspect Ratio: 1.333:1; Hue: 5.763; Saturation: 0.133; Lightness: 0.570; Volume: 0.335; Cuts per Minute: 41.621; Words per Minute: 111.437
Summary: On June 2nd 2008 , thousands of urban poor of Mumbai representing more than 7000 members of Ghar Bachao Ghar Banao Andolan converged at Azad Maidan to participate in the first convention of the Andolan. Women in large numbers and in majority, attended the convention that began at noon went on till 7 p.m. to discuss and strategise on issues ranging from right to housing to the encroachments of the elite, right to basic services including water, health, education and food, and the obstacles in realising the same. The Convention had attendance of unorganised sector workers, slum dwellers, fish workers, hawkers, and infrastructure project affected persons.
The convention was inaugurated by Justice (Retd.) Suresh H, and addressed by Laxman Gaikwad-leader of the Denotified Tribes, Medha Thatte (Shramik Mahila Sangathan, Pune), Neera Adarkar(Girni Kamgar Sangharsh Samiti), Shailesh Gandhi(NCPRI) Right to Information Activist, Shaktiman Ghosh(National Hawkers' Federation), Seemantani Dhuru(Avehi-Right to Education Campaign), Adv. Shakeel Ahmed, Neha(CEHAT), Anand Patwardhan (Documentary Maker), Sambaji Bhagat (Cultural Activist), Medha Patkar (Ghar Bachao Ghar Banao Andolan- NAPM, NBA) and others.
While inaugurating the convention Justice Suresh raised the question 'what right does governments have to demolish the houses of the poor when right to housing is part and parcel of Right to Life guaranteed under the Constitution of India?' He declared the policy of Government of Maharashtra of applying cut-off date as inhuman, illegal as well as violation of the Constitution. He gave the call of raising struggles at multiple fronts to oppose the anti-people policies of present day governments, be it setting up of SEZs or repeal of Urban Land Ceiling Act.
Laxman Gaikwad, leader-activist associated with the de-notified tribes of Maharashtra. He drew the attention of those present towards the irony of how historically and even today, those who are earning their bread-butter by engaging in back breaking labour are labelled as criminals and encroacher's, while those who are real criminals are holders of sets of power as MPs, MLAs and corporate heads.
The issue of Hawker's & Street Vendors was raised by Shaktiman Ghosh of National
Hawkers Federation who lambasted the UPA government and respective state
governments of not implementing the National Street Vendors & Hawkers Policy in spite of the orders of the Supreme Court. He drew attention towards the exploitation and harassment that the hawkers have to face even in left ruled state of West Bengal.
Government Policies
Opposition
Protest
Medha Patkar: Brothers and Sisters of the Pardhi Society and companions of Jai Ambe Nagar who have become alert after the public hearing about the corruption of the authorities. But if you check the shops there is kerosene but no food grains. So did the Supreme Court release orders stating that we should eat and drink kerosene and if we dont get it then commit suicide like the 1,50,000 farmers. In the slums of Mumbai , 52% of the population is undernourished so should the people in these slums light other peoples lives like the burning torch by burning themselves and thereby, committing suicide is the question we are asking today .
Medha Patkar : And the result of our hard work ,If a Sister Khalida, Sister Nina, Sister Shakuntala, our (?) ,our aunts ,our Shantabai ,if they are fighting ,they are fighting not only for themselves but also to see that everybody receives education...school.......municipality schools are being shut and private ones are opened and they are launching a fake Education for all (Sarva shiksha Abhiyaan) schemes, which is a weak form of education, during which even the teachers under a commission system are becoming "Contract Slaves" and we don't desire that. We want complete government education which should be guided not only by the government but also by us.
Medha Patkar: Noorjibhai Padhvi of the Narmad Andolan will be here in a short while . He runs life-schools in the ghats of the Narmada and is eventually starting one or two schools in the slums of Mumbai. Its the government's rights to run the anganwadi (primary schools ), But Mohan bhai is of the view that it should be run in collaboration with the slums and the protest.That is why our brothers and sisters are fighting for education .
Medha Patkar : In public hospitals there is no place and even if you manage to get one corner,they give medical prescriptions on paper to buy which there is no money, because of which some body is sick in the kidneys. (the audience are shouting "hoshiar" in the background ). We cannot distribute money on behalf of the Protest but we want to assure them that if this slum association remains the same and keeps on increasing.Thousands, thousands of people have become registered members of the Ghar Bachao, Ghar Banao Protest. Right now the Figures are above 7000 but yet only a few are covered . But if we come together and with this strength throw a challenge to one one school, hospital, rationing officer then only can we get our rights. (Applause). (The speaker recites the slogan and the audience repeats )
Slogan : We are asking for our rights and not begging from anybody .
Medha Patkar: (?) employees for them we have made a complete legal matter, the nationwide associations who have repeatedly seen each word of the matter and we support ideals of both the associations . On one side, Social Security which includes Pension , Provident Fund should be received by every hard-working individual, whether male or female. But those who have money in the banks ,those bank employees and government servants should not receive them.Those who cannot buy medicines in their old age should also receive pension by the government till their last breath. If it's the owners rights to extract work from us ,then it's their duty to play a part in the payment of pension and provident fund and we also desire the second side,that there should be a record of all the workers and employees for which a board should be made.Thus, Social security and Registered employment, with both a complete matter and its law should be brought in front of the parliament and should be completed, so that 33 crore people and 96% percent of the employees,get a right to live till they die...so we are with this law and for this law, the protest today is going to take an oath.
Medha Patkar: We are not asking for everything, we have proposed and we are telling what, where will happen. How houses will be allotted, 1 crore people will be allotted houses in Mumbai.
TV_NH
Medha Patkar: Low rent houses and for the visiting people there will be rest houses, dormitories the scheme for which is put forth to the ministers in Mantralaya and we are awaiting their response.
Azad Maidan
cheque rs 2000
Medha Patkar: We have given a cheque of Rs.2000 to the state ministry under Rajesh Tope and told them that the buildings mentioned in these posters are violated.(?) they are sold to Hiranandani at the rate of 40ps/acre and we have leased it for Rs.40/Acre for 80 years, that is why we paid Rs.2000 and they have en cashed the cheque yet there is no response... so we are not going to leave them so easily.
Slogan: We will get our answers
Medha Patkar: We expect an answer to the question we have put forth. We are sending a letter on everybody's behalf to the Chief Minister, Home Minister Mr R.R.Patil, Mr Narayan Rane, Revenue Minister via the police authorities. We say that on all these issues of slum residents, SRA residents, footpath residents,Fishermen living the coast, hawkers, MUTP road development victims there should be a complete two hour discussion... breakthrough discussion..when and how should be decided by them the reply of which we want in a written letter and we wont move from here until we get it.
Medha Patkar: Are you ready? Even if we have to stay here in the night we will sing songs, dance, take over Azad Maidan, but we will take our reply.
Medha Patkar: We have come here with a question...
Audience: we will take our answer and leave.
Medha Patkar: We have come here with a question.
Audience : We will take our answer and leave
Medha Patkar: and we...
Medha Patkar: They want to kill the unity of the hard-working people living in the slums of Mumbai,who have kept Mumbai alive in the name of Caste, Religion and Province.We want to give an answer to these discriminative men. Where not only one......That is why Mr.Raj Thackerey should be balanced....You have the right to say that there should not be an escape from the villages...The people of Uttar Pradesh there only and the people of Konkan in Konkan....Some people of Sangli, Satara are standing under the tree.....people from Latur representing the sanitation association all those people should get employment in their regions only, even we believe that, but you can't say that they can't leave that place and come here because there are 'Marathi Manoos(people)' living in Patna,Jabalpur and Kolkata who will be attacked upon and you will be the one responsible for it.Even though after taking the mill lands in your position you have earned crores of rupees with Kutchi capital and Uttar Pradeshi contractors...but it's OK to hang banners...If you have this childhood wish you can complete it.But you can't attack poor taxi drivers, poor slums,poor yet rich hardworking people.We will challenge you.
Medha Patkar: You can't stop Lalu Prasad Yadav or anybody from performing Chat Puja.Kolkata celebrates GaneshUtsav, Jabalpur celebrates Navratri Utsav.....everybody has their own rights and Babasaheb has given us these rights your family hasn't....and that is why a family from Indore has come ...a family from Latur has come....we are not going to dig out and show their history even you shouldn't take about Mandir, Masjid or Mumbaites and North Indians it will be good for you.That is why our unity, our strength, our fight for Social Justice:Mr. Laxman Gaikwad, Mr. Anand Patwardhan, Kaushalyatai Salvi, Mr Shakeel Ahmed will expose all of them in the last session.We will ask that our answer.
Medha Patkar: It's a part of the national co-ordination of the protest .The national co-ordination of the national convention....on the 7th and 8th June in this month,the people of our slums will go to Krushi Nagar in Gorakhpur along with Buddha will take place...... that is our Ghar Bachao Ghar Banao or Save the country ,Make the country protest it will fight till its last and will make with its hands, be it Mandala's home construction plan or the reformation of the fisherman's homes..we will do this by ourselves and not give it in the hands of others...builders hands and that is why Ghar Bachao Ghar Banao has its slogan, but the voice of the protest....Now after reading the paper we will announce our further plans in the evening....in the evening the programs will be announced for which we will listen to our other guides after which we will sit in small groups and discuss every single issue.
Medha Patkar: How much ever we may bleed? today we will sweat,but we will show them that we have the power to demolish their government after this only we will return.So...(Slogan: We'll fight).
Audience: We'll win.
Medha Patkar: We'll fight.
Audience: We'll win.
Medha Patkar: We'll fight.
Audience: We'll win.
Off screen:We have come to take an account.
Audience: We will take the account and leave.
Off screen: We have come to take our response.
Audience :We will take our response and leave.
Off screen: So Ms Medha....If we don't get a response we will not get up from here..we wont..we wont..so those who aren't going to get up will give a slogan .We'll fight
Audience:We'll win
Off screen:We'll fight.
Audience:We'll win.
Offscreen: Vilasrao Deshmukh should come to consciousness.
Audience: Come to consciousness, come to consciousness.
Offscreen: Vilasrao Deshmukh should come to consciousness.
Audience: Come to consciousness, come to consciousness.
Simpreet: (?) where ever you are please come here.Amravati Choudhary, Phulchand Yadav where ever you are please come here.....Atik Ahmed please come on stage.....(Applause),Nirmala Singh, Siraj Ahmed, Nirmala Singh, Bhanudas Kale, Sushila Patel, (?) Maurya, Mrs Niwas Bewa...Niwas Bewa..Shabbir Khan...Ravi Shankar Gaikwad....Ramji the one who is in charge of the water service....please welcome him with applause.. (Applause)....Kamal Ramesh.....Kamal Ramesh.... Ram sir should come on the stage...Dashrath Yadav...Sammidumisha Khan...Dayashankar Chaudhary, sir please come on the stage and take your Identity card and this return will continue those who have filled this will get it in the next few days and it will be delivered to their slums and those who haven't filled it yet can participate and get their Identity card made..So..give a warm welcome to those who are getting their Identity cards with a round of applause.(applause) and those....Newspaper.....voice of the protest...Ghar Bachao,Ghar Banao protest...in the letter..in which.....our brother Shakeel Ahmed and Sukanyaji who didn't come have supported us.
Simpreet Singh:So after noon it's going to remain out and you can purchase it for a coin and read it and know the rights for which your fighting.In the same way......
Off screen: Vande Matram . We have know become alert ahead there is a battle.We have know become alert ahead there is a battle.Bravo.
Off screen:Give a cry.
Audience:We are one.
Off screen:Give a cry.
Audience:We are one.
Off screen: We'll Fight.
Audience: We'll win.
Off screen: We'll Fight.
Audience: We'll win.
Man in green shirt: Give a cry.
Audience:We are one.
Man in green shirt: Give a cry.
Audience:We are one.
Man in white checked shirt: What (?) do in a song listen.(song starts) Wake up oh!people,wake up other people... wake up oh people, wake up other people...wake up oh! people,wake up other people.
Chorus: Wake up oh! people,wake up other people.
Man in checked shirt: Through our hard work the earth has been dug up.
Chorus: Through our hard work the earth has been dug up .
Man in checked shirt: The mortar is made of soil, the mortar is made of soil, bricks are made out of mortar.
Chorus:bricks are made out of mortar.
Man in checked shirt: We sweat to make palaces out of brick.
Chorus:We sweat to make palaces out of brick.
Man in blue t-shirt and chorus: Why is it so brother?
Man in checked shirt: It's the reign of builders....
Man in checked shirt and chorus: It's the reign of builders,there is no food to eat , water to drink,a house to stay or a room to die...this is the government; brother, it's a false reign; brother..think a little brother this is a false reign brother....brothers......the earth has been dug up due to our hard work.....the earth has been dug up due to our hard work...a seed was sown in the earth....a seed was sown in the earth..the earth became as glowing as a bride....the earth became as glowing as a bride....the earth became as glowing as a bride... We sweat throughout the day and the king made all the earnings...We sweat throughout the day and the king made all the earnings
Vilas Ghogre
Man in checked shirt and chorus: It will be the reign of labour ...there will be food to eat..water to drink..a house to stay ..and clothes to wear..get a reign like that..get a government like that..get a reign like that..get a government like that..Wake up oh! people,wake up other people.....Wake up oh! people,wake up other people......Wake up oh! people,wake up other people......Wake up oh! people,wake up other people. Greetings!
Man in pink shirt: In today's Ghar Bachao Ghar Banao protest we are going to have a detailed discussion , and touch every issue and will get up from here only after receiving a response from the Mantralaya..isn't it right...huh
Audience: yes it's right.
Man in pink shirt: So here the second session starts. First and foremost from Jummi basti....Laxmiben from Annabhau Sathe Nagar.. please come on the stage.Mr. Mehdad Fatte (?) has come please welcome him again with a round of applause.(applause).kishore bhai yoge from SRA, Dr. Bhende and Shakeel Ahmed our politician from Nirbhay Bano Andolan (?) and he has to specially come on the stage.
Lady in pink: All the hard working people of Mumbai have gathered at Azad Maidan and are telling the government that we are listening about the free thing for 12 years and it's a bad thing we don't like that we are working people..so there should be work for us....there should be fixed income for us ...there should be health privileges...there should be pension for us..there should be good education for us and our kids. It's not only the question of our house but all the things of our life.So to tell this we are standing here in Azad Maidan maybe we may have to go to Delhi as well.
Man in pink shirt: Seeing the population of people here...seeing the people...the strength of the protest..this is the victory of our battle..please give a round of applause.(applause). Mehda Fatte who spoke about our protest ....house here from Jummi Slums..Ambani's house is so big...Minister house is so big..and the Chief Minister talks about a piece of 270 for us and national...from Delhi the Gruh Nirman (?) about 270. Can 5 family stay in 279...can 10 people stay.. this is what has been talked about is right and important....and we desire that...we are not asking for spaces as much as the ministers are allotted but only 1000 Sq.ft should be given this what we want.This fight is of the house is not only of the house but of employment, a fight for health, education.
Bhau Biskote: My Brothers and sister present for the Ghar Bachao, Ghar Banao Andolan.Even if I am famous, was famous, I am not used to speaking in front of people but I've been told so I will talk a few words.When I got an invitation for this event at that time the slums in Mumbai..the slums which are on goverment owned land...What kind of rights have the government given to them? I investigated that and in some of them I found out that if in goverment land the tribals ,(?) , the dalit's who don't have houses and land, if they do encroachment to live there then that land should be given to them.They have a right over that place The rule in the constitution, Land (?) act 1966 says that if in the metro of Mumbai if somebody has built a house, taken a place or built a house on government land, then that place can be owned by him, it's his right, the land that he has pervaded he will have to pay for it, (?).When I made the account I realised that paying the amount is easy and it's not difficult and can be given easily but whatever I have read and thought about till now and I came to know one thing, that those who have trespassed don't know on which government land it is.They don't know the (?) no ,they don't know the(?) no that is why he doesn't make an appeal.
Off screen: Bhauji (Brother) has talked about how can we accept this... Now our associate and guide Laxmanji Gaikwad will keep his points .He's a literary person and has written letters... he is a writer and many of his books have been published.
Laxmanji Gaikwad : Greetings to all my associates...where it was difficult to do....Their arrangements over there ....there is nothing left....now why are people coming to the city.. because there is no work for people in the villages...it has become difficult for people to stay and eat.....Today on such a large scale our sisters have come here and its difficult for them to run the house after coming here in Maharashtra and the country...about which you people have more problems....
Laxman Gaikwad : What is this Slum residents ? why should they be kept in slums and huts? Do they enjoying staying there? There is a place for dogs and cats but there is no place to make a house for the poor people what kind of government is this? The goverment should be kicked out to the house....the little sister that was talking her..what was her name?...... Yes and you should elect such people for whom the poor's knowledge is the poor's and the one who would get justice for the poor not just give assurance.This is not the question of demand, we will choose our own representative and she will be one women among you'll and will go to the Vidhan Sabha and make her own laws about the slums .We should come forward to make such laws...
Laxman Gaikwad: These rotten brained politicians who beg in the slums after every five years and they lure us with promises.Like the way they lure goats with grasses before slaughtering them. Similarly, these politicians pacify us with hopes of giving us homes.The government that doesn't listen to us is useless, they should be sent back home.Who are the friends of builders? they are not the slum dwellers but these ministers who sit in Mantralaya...they are buddies. These people say....they give plans ...that yo give them work in SRA...They call the Pardhi people, thieves and robbers..they are the real thieves as they are looting every body and sitting at a place.
Laxman Gaikwad: Where does Ambani go to earn...he says "Take the world in your hands". It's my fathers dream and others wealth is mine. He's taking everybody's money in his hands and showing of his wealth in the whole world and a day will arise ....if they trouble us slum dwellers....whatever they have the wealth and riches are all ours and our protest will go over there as well..in front of their houses and we will throw them out of the house as they have become rich because of us...and what is going on in this world..the value of rich men's dogs is more then poor people. When I go to the class without children the value of rich men's dogs is Rs.1 Lac and the value of poor men is Rs. 1 in slums.(Applause). I want to say this to Ms Medha Patkar that this battle should go on and every person born here should be provided with a house, water..water, food there should be provisions about this such a law should be made.Nobody should day say that what do we hard working people in this country have other then losing, we have to fight,come on the roads and fight nothing else do we have and those who live in houses with doors have the right ratings.... They take a leash for the cat ad take the dogs in their lap but talk about shooing away poor people from here. They aren't humans and to get them to track is our job ( Applause).
Lakshman Gaikwad: The defenders of any religion just want to divide. The poor and their breed is one,any of these poor........
When there will be a fight for our rights ,somebody in the neighbourhood will start a war of religions, somebody will wage a war on god, because you came to Azad Maidan to push them so that you don't stay united a war is waged on religion, caste from which the poor have to stay alert and our fight for rights is not for a single day but will continue for many years till something comes into our hand.Our..you don't know that the young generation of our caste in Mumbai....around 30 lakh people stay here....they are makad wale, vadaar, kaikadi, paardhi...The no of Paardhi's in mumbai is 7000...7000 pardhi people stay and they don't have ration cards and no education, should these people have all the benefits is the whole of Maharashtra given to them, their kids go to English medium schools and get all the facilities while our kids live in slums and study in rotten places with out a roof.....that means the discriminative work.....if Medha madame would be here I would have said that this is the time for fight for a new independence of the country .(Applause)
Lakshman Gaikwad : Because till the poor people dont receive justice till then the riches of the rich will earn thousand and crores of profit and increase friendship with them...the work that is going on in this country. In independence the British were better they used to at least ask a person what is you last wish,if your hungry have bread, if you want a house take a house and then they would hang the person after the fair skinned have come the blacks-the Indians and they are worse then them, they say what do you want first get shot and then well see what has to be done about you.
Off screen: The government which is useless
Audience: It has to be thrown out
Off screen: The government that is useless.
Audience: It has to be thrown out.
Man in pink shirt: the last is also there. this independence is incomplete.
Audience: This struggle is incomplete.
Man in pink shirt:We'll fight.
Audience: we'll win.
Man in pink shirt: So brother Lakshman .....he's a politician of liberated (?)but in the whole proceeding.....what he spoke about..what is the question of the house.....who is connected with the house..who's the robber
who should talk about what...all the arrangements are done by the (?).Please give a big round of applause for them on behalf of our protest.(Applause).and will be done on our behalf ..it will be good .Give a cry.
Audience: We are one.
Man in pink shirt: Now our message has gone.....Sister has left for Mantralaya..now it all depends on what the chief minister says in the discussion about the housing issue and what the SRA does about slum redevelopment..right now the goverment is giving 270 sq ft of space the discussion about.what are the loops in it will be spoken about by Mr Pravin Yeoulkar, our politician from Worli it will be nice if he comes ahead and Shakeel Ahmed......
Shakeel: I've been asked to talk about SRA....only those people are going to get houses the others aren't going to get it, this government's scheme is the SRA scheme. So we have to ask the government many questions that what the government is saying that what is after 1955........So we have to ask the people that who is illegal,the one sitting in the government; chief minister ,Vilasrao Deshmukh or the Public because all their work is illegal...The place where Atria mall stands was the poor man's land legally it was annexed and made with permission of the Chief minister so who is illegal.
Shakeel: A case was filed against our brothers who called us illegal in Mandala.The case filed in Mandala was that of" Attempt to Murder "of the BMC authorities, but even the court said there there was no evidence, there was no body present there and a false case was filed this was stated by the court and many of our associates were released.So this reign of lies that is going on in Mumbai city is illegal and we can't be called illegal.So in the SRA scheme our appeal should be that there should be no cut off date, everybody living in the slums or on the road should be given a house and its responsibility is of the government and if in one house there is more then a family living they all should be given houses. So we are going to keep this battle on and will take our right. Thank you.
(Applause).
(?): We know our rights
Audience: We aren't begging from anybody.
White shirt: Those who are living in slums and roads and those whose houses were broken down by the BMC and are rendered homeless..some people have got it and some haven't...P.D'Mello road,Reay road, Zikrya Bunder,Wadala,Sewree there are around 3000-3500 slums and from them around 1200-1500 people are also not given till now. Out of 3500 slums even 1200 people are not yet given and the others are living with asbestos sheets and plastic sheets tied to their houses.
White shirt:Now you guys are sitting here and there is a cloth sheet over here but yet you'll are sweating, over there some people have nothing,there is no asbestos sheet as well, how must they be living? BMC has tortured the poor so badly...now you see people have come here for us..like this madame has come here from Pune and she has come for us poor men, to solve our problems for which people have come.now in our Zikrya Bunder, we had received a 24 hour notice and homes would be demolished after 24 hours but they didn't even give us a time of 24 hours and demolished it within 4 hours. They gave us a notice at 7'o clock and started demolishing at 10'o clock. The same situation is at Wadala, in Wadala a notice was sent but without a date and peoples houses were broken.Out of 110 houses only 30-35 house were passed the rest are lying on the road, their houses are broken,they are just lying there and living there.
Man in white Full sleeves: Those who live in slums and our wage earners out of them a very large number of people carry on their business on the footpath and earn income and make a livelihood. In 2000,when Vilasrao Deshmukh became the CM for the first time, he made an American based company MacKenzie perform a land survey nobody knows how much he paid and the survey is important with regards to three issues .Firstly, in Mumbai how much government and private land is there where encroachments have settled. Secondly, In Mumbai, the retail market which is the upcoming business in which the people of the footpath, people of the shops and street vendors what is the total business of all of these. Thirdly, if these people are moved from this land then how can this land be used again newly.
Man in white Full sleeves: In this context they started in the name of hawking and non- hawking zones, those people who used to earn their livelihood.....firstly they rendered those 2-4 lacs people unemployed.After which they started the footpath beautification plans in which roads were widened, while doing this..in almost around4-5 lacs shopkeepers were left homeless in the city of Mumbai. After that they go to the Supreme Court and say that give us a period of six months in which we'll come up with a law and will settle and arrange for food for those people who were rendered unemployed.
Man in white full sleeves: Their destination is not to provide food and shelter to the poor.There is a reason behind that..the reason...the big malls that are being constructed..Sharad Pawar,Vilasrao Deshmukh, Ajit Pawar, Sonia Gandhi it's made out of their money. So how can it be given to you .After taking under table from reliance , other big companies and big builders for malls..when the government is busy selling their shops in their malls,so then how will they settle you down over there.So you have to go against the government....all of us who are sitting here.....this government ...after having everything today is not ready to make it.Every three months it sits on a new problem like something is incomplete, has to be repaired.Ms Medha has taken a meeting with the many of these government officers, ministers and explained to them that many people have become unemployed because of one of your laws....just because of giving it a direction. Lacs and lacs of people will get employed but they aren't willing to listen.
Man in white full sleeves: We gave and explained to them a proposal for the Municipal Market but they aren't willing to listen.If you don't have place on the foot paths settles these poor people in the reserved market plots. They rendered them jobless in the name of hawking ,non-hawking and now the houses in the name of MMRDA road...footpath beautification,sewer cleaning...through different false excuses the government is desolating us. We will come together in this protest and teach the government a lesson. with this thought I finish my talk. Thank you.
Man in pink shirt: How does the government execute the hawkers policy and what do people desire ..the discussion that has been kept for it...With that our Shaktimaan Ghosh from Kolkata has come here...he will take from the national Federation.
Audience: Bravo.
Shaktiman Ghosh: I am here form Kolkata to give you Slum Dweller....I give you'll a Bravo.......I give you a Bravo from all the labourers, from the country,for this work..that your voice....Ghar Bachao,Ghar Banao... this is not only in Mumbai,in Maharashtra but this voice is echoing throughout the country. In every lane in Kolkata there is a fight to save their houses
they are giving out only one cry " save houses, make houses.'
Shaktiman Ghosh: Where there has been elections, where there have been attacks on the poor people that government has lost. The public has got together and voted against the government. Friends ..sometimes....I wonder whether I was born in India or come from planet Mars or come down from the moon.. or born in India. If I am born in India then the responsibility of my food, clothing and shelter is the governments responsibility..was I born to live in the slums....doesn't my heart desire to stay in a bigger house. Why should I live on the sewage ..why do i live there because the government hasn't done their duty and given my house,my livelihood that is why I have to build my own house.OK. Those who operate their business from the footpaths...In Mumbai: 3,00,000, in Kolkata: 2,75,000, Delhi:5,00,000 and 5 crore people in the country ....the street hawkers: 4 crores does any hawker choose it with his own will.
Hawkers
Shaktiman Ghosh: Does any hawker perform his business on the footpath in his own will? not by his own will when all the roads to survival are closed,he chooses the footpath to live, because the government hasn't given our jobs .out of the 4 crores figure more then half are women hawkers,these 4 crore people tell the government that give us jobs. Whoever the government maybe will not be able to give a job ..there is not a single job in the country that is why we do our daily work on the roads to earn my daily bread. Besides earning my daily bread we have done a big deed alongside...the city in which we put up our business ..hawkers...do you put up a bazaar in the super mall... it costs a lot of money and when we get in it is very scary due to which..
Shaktiman Ghosh: Does their stuff come from abroad? No their stuff isn't made by big companies.....what the hawkers sell is the soul of our country...what's created in small productions.....what's created in villages in every home mothers and sisters make shawls blouses,bags those different things are sold by hawkers. what does that mean..it means if hawkers cease to exist what will happen about the small stuff that is created in these small workshops and the lakhs and crores of labourers that make this, farmer's that grow these vegetables..do you know that the vegetables that are grown by farmers..if farmers grow 100kgs at least 80kgs is sold by hawkers..if hawkers don't remain what will happen to the farmers, vegetables ? that is why while earning their bread they support poor labourers by selling their produce and their job and work remains because hawkers exist.
Shaktiman Ghosh : Alongside hawkers, labourers,slum dwellers we all want to tell the government that we don't want anything...we don't want alms..give me an account of my rights..Add what is ours...what is less..who makes big roads...who makes big buildings...who makes flyovers...add my right to that and give us our share.its time..time because...our(?)..Ambani..Mukesh Ambani...Reliance..do you know...what's his rate for an hour?..do you know...Rs.40 lakhs..he earns in an hour. Reliance earns rs 40 lakhs in an hour...Mukesh Ambani....How much is our salary..how much can we afford to spend..the capital of the country is going to them ..to the big companies...and the public of the country who are backward ,In 100 only 30 people that is 3% can spend only Rs.6 a day. It means 60 in a 100 can spend only Rs.14, On that 77 out of 100 people can spend only Rs. 20. There is a red flag in the corner, the flag of West Bengal...many poor people had voted....Excuse me sister....sister can you listen to me...Half information is dangerous....half information will create problems....listen to the complete information.... West Bengal government has the red flag and many poor people voted for them so that the poor can get advantage of that but ultimately what happened when they came into power they said we will make Bengal a hawker free zone. We will remove every hawker after the year 1996.
Shaktiman Ghosh: Redevelopment...today we are saying with pride..we are saying with pride government said that there will be no hawkers.. that day they said that it was 1,50,000 and today it is 2,75,000 after their announcements 1,25,000 new hawkers have come up.but we didn't leave one thing..we continued fighting....we were beaten...we beat others shooed away the policemen..Rapid Action was also beaten up and shooed away.... we haven't left anything because its my right.Today I am proud to say that the municipality of Kolkata made 3 long parts of the road and one part of it has become a hawkers zone forever,two parts are for the public to walk.we have snatched this right ,we fought for this and took it.
Shaktiman Ghosh: Today the policy that is made is very unfortunate, there is no unity in the hawkers of Maharashtra and its their weakness.If all the hawkers of Maharashtra get down on the footpath one day not only Maharashtra but even Indian government will not be able to do remove hawkers. It's unfortunate that the policy was given in my hand and it's the Supreme Court's order.....on this government in 24 wards in Mumbai...in 24 wards from morning to night municipal cars stand to take away hawkers.. we can in the whole country...Maharashtra's...Mumbai's hawkers.
Off screen: Sandeep Sir, Simpreet Sir and our associates who are on the stage ,I want ...your Urban Line sealing which Indira Gandhi did in 1977. According to this law the government could get 30,000 acres of land and that is why our fight with BMC was on..we told the government that we can get 30,000 acres ,you take this land and use it for the housing of poor men but in spite of this..as per our protest the government wasn't saying anything.So they gave us 62 acres of land and on these 62 acres of land you build 6000 houses then we will see...but along with the people we built 6000b houses and told the government to keep this example in mind.You take 30,000 acres of land under your possession but they didn't do this, we also reminded the government that when Rajiv Gandhi under the president ship of Charles Korea made a committee of the National commission of urbanisation.After the report of the committee came,The report decided that they can build their own houses they have the intelligence to build them,their needs and to build them accordingly and have the know how and the government should allot them land as well as funds...funds through loans.
Off screen: This was their advocacy,even during independence Nehru called America's Ford Foundation and asked them to advice us that how should the houses.......
Audience shouts the slogan.
Simpreet Singh: The discussion that has been completed and to come to a conclusion ..before that in the morning Sonutai spoke about how the The slums of Mumbai should.... The workers wont come together over here..Siraj bhai...will not crowd over here..after that Laxman Gaikwad spoke about the torture of the people by the police and calling them Robbers and it went ahead to Haider bhai who spoke about Hawkers Of Mumbai and the builders and how protest come up and when this protest fails they have to accept defeat and Shakeel bhai who spoke about SRA and lastly Prabhjot behen ended with how its affecting the females a lot and how they are facing difficulties and they are getting tortured and that is why females are here in a larger no. So whatever main things that come in front of them ,I will keep them in front of you..Firstly our government whatever responsibilities they had to complete what is their duty they aren't fulfilling.Their duty was according to the constitution the right to live that we have got what does that mean?
Simpreet Singh: Everybody put their introduction through which it becomes visible.Secondly the government says something and does something,every time there are new announcements there are new policies,new ideas are brought in but people get no benefit and whatever land and resources they have are taken away from them.What we have to do and how. Like he gave an example that the government of West Bengal decided to make it a No Hawking Zone and named it Sunshine operation,but the people gave a cry that we will not give even an inch of land.
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