GBGB: Mandala, Mankhurd
Director: Amit
Duration: 00:38:39; Aspect Ratio: 1.778:1; Hue: 34.572; Saturation: 0.060; Lightness: 0.414; Volume: 0.278; Cuts per Minute: 1.449; Words per Minute: 110.567
Summary: We, at CAMP, met Amit, a resident of the Jogeshwari slums, when we were doing a project there called the
Jogeshwari Video Project on water politics. Through a series of conversations, he expressed the desire to go and see Mandala in Mankhurd, where he discovered that people had been displaced not only by the state's demolition activities, but also because of severe flooding in the monsoon. This video, which has his voice-over, looks around Mandala, speaks to residents, and finds that security of housing is threatened not only by a state rooting for 'development', but nature too.
Mandala
slum demolitions
Extreme long shot of a ground where the dirty water is spread on the floor and a few huts can be seen at a distance.
Off screen: Today we are standing in Mumbai... Today we are standing in Mumbai... A small slum in Mumbai which is in Mankhurd-Mandala. We can see... this is a small city of Mumbai... Mumbai- the city of dreams. Today we are standing in a small city...slum in Mumbai which is named Mankhurd- Mandala. Here there are many... thousands of people are staying here since many years but till today nobody has paid attention to this place. Their place of residence is next to the dumping ground in Mankhurd, this is the bay of Mankhurd in which the bay of Shivneri... it would fill up every rainy season and these people who would stay here would have to settle some where else and as the rains would end they would return. All of them stay next to the Shivneri bay and you can see around 500-600 settlements which are next to the bay and they are removed from here in every rainy and summer season or they are razed by the bulldozers.Come lets talk to a few people about how they live here.
Shubhavati: We are very troubled this is the fourth year that we are in this bay under the tower and after the bay fills we face a lot of problems here. We don't have light or water, we get potable water from Sathia Nagar, Ekta Nagar..Bainganwadi. We are troubled
Off screen (Woman) : We don't get water, electricity we just live like that for so many years and stay like this...
Lady in Nightie: Sathia Nagar, Mandala.
Off screen: What problems do you face in getting water?
Shubhavati: We have to get it from the mud... sinve they've shut the lane we have to get it from the mud. We get gallons for Rs 5, Rs 10, Rs 3.They don't let the men come in. we are suffering a lot and what to say.
Off screen (Woman) : Our pathways are filled with excreta which we have to use while coming and going anywhere.
Off screen: How do you'll stay here when the water gets filled?
(Women in Chorus: Audio unclear.)
Off screen: Let one person talk at a time.
Off screen: Lets have a look at their lifestyle?
Shubhavati: The water fills till here.
Off screen: You can see all the mud
Shubhavati: Water fills here. You can see mud over here because of which all of us have problems... the cot doesn't stay... the bench doesn't stay... so we a face a problem of sleeping... our utensils flow away... our things in the corner remain. This is our problem since settlements of (?) have been broken since then this is our tension and what should we say sir... what else should I say. We went to Delhi, Nagpur, Mumbai but the government is not ready to accept to settle our slums... our expectations don't fall our blood falls here.
Off screen: Now we are proceeding to their temple where-the have made their temple.
Man in Orange Shirt: This is our temple and so much level of water fills here
Shubhavati: This is our temple... water fills up to this level, people sleep on the bench over here.
Orange Shirt: This is our temple... this bench has been made here.it's in a bad condition.
Off screen: This is their temple and this is the water deposited next to it. They are living in this manner and nobody is paying attention to their problems and due to this... kids play next to this throughout the day and because of which it is a breeding ground for diseases. They say that whenever water gets filled over here these people... these people sleep on benches. Nobody can even imagine a life such as this in Mumbai.What they're doing ... they are going through... this ... think...
Off screen: Now we are standing in Vidabai's house.She is showing her lifestyle in her house.
Vidabai: I am Vidabai... the floods come... sometimes in the night... sometimes in the day times... it would be very big... we make benches and live in the bay this is how we spend our lives... we don't have our own homes the water is so high.
Off screen :How much is the water in a month?
Off screen (Woman): It's yearly.
Off screen : The levels are high for Six months
Off screen (Woman): In six months of a year there is more .
Off screen :After 2 months it will start coming.
Vidabai: We don't even get to go anywhere.
Off screen: Their food, living everything is on this elevated platform.
Off screen: We are standing on dry land... what we just saw is a slum next to this ground.When the water gets filled here it breaks the wall... such is the speed of the water.You can see how she is digging out mud to raise the height of their house... in this manner the kids fill the mud and take to level the lane by which the height of their house will increase. We are standing on arid land and this house is standing in the middle of the area where the water gets filled in the rainy season.
Off screen: The kids and people... wash their hands and feet and use the same water for defecating and because of diseases and epidemics breed here. In a similar fashion everybody stays on the benches and cots. The kid is washing his hands and feet with the same water. These kids have just played cricket and are washing their hands and feet in the same dirty water.
Off screen: We are standing next to the Mankhurd dumping ground and a small slum attached to it which is named as Indira Nagar- Mandala. At least 3000 people stay here and... in front of us is a resident of this slum - Atik, he will tell us about the duration of the condition of this slum and their problems.
Atik: My name is Atik, In 2004 there were around 6000 houses which the government razed under the idea of making Mumbai, Shanghai. In 2004, 80,000 houses were razed in Mumbai in which Ambujwadi, Rafique Nagar,Sathe Nagar, Kurla- Indira Nagar these big slums were razed. In Mandala in the year 20006 people had made their settlement again on the basis of a struggle and then again the government burned the slums and razed them all.
Offscreen: Now where do they stay?
Atik: Now they stay in the neighbouring slums on rent.They are paying Rs 5000 as deposits and Rs 800-900 as rent and have to pay for electricity... there is no arrangement for water also.
PPF
Atik: People get water from as far as 2 km...
Off screen: What is the arrangement for electricity?
Atik: There is no arrangement from the governments side for electricity. Those who have meters... officers of the Mumbai Mahanagar Palika and the local goons... they carry out the work of selling electricity. Where they take Rs. 250 for every house and there is no facility of the government over here... and the electricity theft is carried out by adding wires to the big boxes and giving them electricity.
Off screen: What about the school.
Atik: There is no school Of the Mumbai Mahanagar Palika over here. It is there in Shivaji Nagar, Deonar and the kids have to go as far as 3 kms away to study and sp many people are deprived of education. Those who are studying... they studied till class 2 or 3... after studying it is far away... expenses increase... rent is to be given and different semesters come on them, they don't even have houses...so they don't study. Some of these kids collect garbage on the dumping ground and take part in supporting their family.
Offscreen: They go to Vashi... in the vegetable market.
Atik: Many women go to Vashi market which is nearby and sell them in small areas... the police women harass them as well. They extort money from them and if they aren't given money they are removed.In this way under the name of Shanghai, the government is not leading them on a road to development but destruction.Like the children who wouldn't study and would roam around uselessly for such kids we have made...Like I mentioned before that due to lack of Mumbai Mahanagar Palika schools the kids were deprived of education... the small kids who can't study in private... this is the Ghar Bachao Ghar Banao protest school where 70-80 kids study and the teacher is also from mandala itself who teaches here... and with struggle it's not only kids their future but there are many ladies who would never go out but because of the struggle they have become so strong that they are challenging the government for their land... land of Mandala.
Atik: On 2nd June in Azad Maidan they revealed the foul play of the builders to Vilasrao Deshmukh while the government has given 200 acres of land on lease to Hiranandani Builders at the rate of 40ps. Such an expensive piece of land in Mumbai is given to builders at very cheap rate it's like a loot.
TV_NH
hiranandani
Atik: On this basis the people of Ghar Banao Ghar Bachao protest especially people from Mandala gave Vilasrao Deshmukh a cheque of Rs 2000 through which they demanded that you give the land of Mumbai at such cheap rates to builders... so we are ready to pay 100% more. The government has encashed the cheque and the struggle is going on... that under the name of development... Renewal Urban Mission ..the law... Jawaharlal Nehru Urban ceiling mission... under that law the land is lying empty and the people are fighting so that the government rehabilitates them quickly.
Off screen:These are their daily problems... the people live here... they are living a struggle each day. They don't have electricity or water facilities... Where should they go? You heard their story about how long they've been staying here, what are the problems they are facing.
Off screen: Politicians come here but with their own problems and not to solve their problems. They come here to increase their fame or ask for votes... who are responsible for this?
Off screen: Uncle! What's your name?
Iqbal Hussein: My name is Iqbal Hussein.
Off screen: Where did you live before this?
Iqbal Hussein: earlier I used to stay here. I've been living here since 10 years and we could earn our livelihood and we used to stay happily, everybody used to get work. Since our houses have been razed we are fed up of running around and we are in so much trouble that we can't earn and nor do we have a house to live and we are rendered homeless.
Off screen: Uncle! When the government came to raze this place how many police officials... and what happened?
Iqbal Hussein: They brought 10,000 policemen, 19patrol cars, sticks and nets together.We tried to stop them on the road they put a notice in the evening and attacked in the morning and demolished everything into a mess and left.They carried on demolition for 3 days.
Off screen: Do you'll get these kids some formal education ?
Iqbal Hussein: No.There is no facility over here... no clinic or Municipality school nor any source of livelihood.Only that first we would earn our livelihood outside and feed kids and now we can't even earn and feed our kids. Now I am sick for the last 3 or 4 years and there is no place to live and we are sitting on a sewer.
Off screen: So there is no place for kids to receive education?
Iqbal Hussein: There is a school in Deonar if we put our kids there the expense for 3 kids each day is Rs. 20 and Rs5-10 to eat each day. We don't have that much strength.
Off screen: What are the facilities for water?
Iqbal Hussein : We have to pay Rs 10/can and we buy 2-3 cans of water that is our expense of Rs 30. We have to pay Rs. 30.
Off screen: Where do you get water from?
Iqbal Hussein: We have to get water from the roads from PMG, Sathe Nagar.
Off screen:So do you see any way ahead?
Iqbal Hussein: We don't see any way ahead because we went to Delhi from here... went to Mantralaya... to Deshmukh... to R.R.Patil... to an office in Parel... in Bandra... there was no hearing we just suffered and we are fed up of our life as well. We can't earn and eat and even our kids aren't able to earn and there is so much helplessness around that excluding us around 2000 -3000 people aren't able to feed themselves.
Off screen: Does any politician come here. It's the season of elections so, do they come here?
Iqbal Hussein:Whichever politician comes here fold his hands and takes votes and never looks back.
Off screen: Don't you'll catch hold of them.
Iqbal Hussein: We try to but they shift their offices... the poor public harasses them so they shift to a better place. There is a hearing for big people but nobody listens to the poor. We suffer and live here.
Iqbal Hussein: Now these are my 6 kids and I have brought them up with my hard work
but now I don't have any livelihood and am useless. At least 10,000 kids over here are rendered useless who can't receive formal education, medicines and they have no source of learning knowledge and work.Our kids are lost because they don't have any money for travelling or anything because their parents can only earn to give them daily bread.
Off screen: Is there any schools for small kids in this area?
Iqbal Hussein: Yes there are nurseries where 60-70 kids study... there is less place and they don't have many facilities and people are doing things slowly.
Off screen: Who run these schools? Is it government or..?
Iqbal Hussein: No, this is not government based.
Off screen: Who is running them?
Iqbal Hussein: The local people are running them.All the people together are running them.
Off screen: How many kids study here?
Iqbal Hussein: 70... 60 kids and there are more kids who don't have place to study. Like the kids of Class I ,III, IV are roaming around and you will find them playing the ground and if you take them to Deonar you have to give them rent of Rs. 10 for 2 kids and if you take them to Mankhurd you give Rs.10-15... then only he can study. that means Rs. 400-500 per month per kid.We dont have that ,much earnings so how will we educate them. The kids left school and sat... The kids left school and sat. The biggest problem is no source of livelihood... there is no facility for water, light, clinic and schools and livelihood. The biggest problem is we have no livelihood, so our kids are useless.
Off screen: All these kids are from the bay who are playing throughout the day because they have no education and some kids like the one coming from the front are Rag pickers.
Off screen: What's your name?
Nasreen Bano: My name is Nasreen Bano.
Off screen: Please tell us about the slums that were razed over here some time back?
Nasreen Bano: In 2004 some slums were razed...
Off screen: Since when are they living?
Nasreen Bano: People are living here since 10 years... some are staying since 8 years... some are staying since 9 years and nobody is living since less then that time. The slums over here were beautiful and very good and people use to live with equity... with people from all castes and all of them had so much of unity... there were Temples and Mosques... and people would meet each other, they would celebrate Diwali, Eid happily. We used to stay happily... the residents were oppressed and they were crushed and told to empty the lands. They put mikes in police cars and made announcements to empty the land... they said this land is not yours, empty it. There was so much of moss, mud, slush... there use to be water filled for which people brought mud on their heads... they lost their hair in the process and made the land in a good condition, so the government kicked us out. We went and sat near a temple and started crying. Today our kids are uneducated and because of this place... because of Mandala, our kids are uneducated... we are struggling for water, we dont even have electricity...
Nasreen Bano: Those who have money can buy stolen electricity, otherwise we live like this in a plastic hut and cook on an earthen stove and we are living in these conditions and in today's condition we have started a movement ... Ghar Bachao Ghar Banao Protest... We have received support from the Ghar Bachao Ghar Banao where we talk to the government. The government says that this place is of no use... there were no illegal people ... they are legal people... this is of no use to them. Only a slum can develop here it can't be given to any builder or anybody else and while struggling when we settled here in 2005 with Medha Patkar... after we settled here for nine months after doing the protest. We started a life school in our slum because our kids remained uneducated... for which we started a small life school for our slum. We kept those who had already taken education for class 10 and people from our slums were teaching them. We had compiled a survey of small kids from the age of 3-6 years and the teachers were giving us their time for free and we started educating our kids through them.
Off screen: Is government doing anything now so that they can be rehabilitated?
Nasreen Bano: We gave the government a cheque of Rs 2000 and said that if you are selling lands for 40ps/acre to builders so we can buy at the rate of Rs 40/acre we gave them a cheque of Rs2000 for 50 acres of land in Mantralaya and we met Kumari Sheila in Delhi and she said you will only get your land of Mandala and we gave them a map and made plans as well. They said don't make small slums but rather make beautiful chawl out of it. We told them if you tell us we will make 4 floored buildings... beautiful... and there will be a place for women to work... like the shopping malls that work. In the whole of Mumbai, rich people shop in big shopping malls and we told Kumari Sheila that in our slums we have started Sakhi Navnirman... through the medium of Sakhi Navnirman we can start a shopping mall in which there will be facilities for the poor as well as the rich... and there will be a good market.
Nasreen Bano: Through the medium of Ghar Bachao Ghar Banao we have... see... Sathe Nagar is settled... Ambujwadi has settled... and... Rafique Nagar has settled and many such settlements... Sanjay Nagar has settled and many such settlements. We have taken an oath from Ghar Bachao Ghar Banao protest that if the government doesn't fulfil our demands... we keep on appealing to them and the government doesn't listen to us, then we will... we will try to meet and appeal to the local government over here. We have started our struggle with the Ghar Bachao Ghar Banao protest and if the government doesn't agree... if the government doesn't understand us, that we stay in a slum in Mandala and the land shouldn't be given to them... if the government has such hidden policies... they speak nicely in front of us... they say no your land will be given to you'll itself... your land is not illegal, it's legal you slum residents will only get it. Those who have lost their houses they will only be rehabilitated there. Now we are staying in such conditions where they keep on saying in Mandala there is so much of mud, water, garbage.
Nasreen Bano: Till where can people clean and where can they live there is no facility to clean. When water gets accumulated so many mosquitoes breed, we are living in such conditions because our houses are broken... and our kids as I had already said and am saying it again... are remaining uneducated. Our income is Rs100 per day, I agree what can be done in Rs100? when we get a Gallon of water for Rs. 10... Rs. 10 for one gallon of water
we get 35 litres of water in Rs. 10. So we will cook, bathe our kids or send them to school in clean clothes. The condition is terrifying... if your proof is after 95 then you will not receive water... when we go to talk to the BMC they say like a mobile card is made you will get other cards, houses will be allotted to those with proof of 95, then you will get water. Now you tell me, we agree that we can live without water but can anybody live without water. There s a lot of water here which flows from Vashi but it's salt water... dirty water... only mosquitoes breed there and nothing else.
Nasreen Bano: The situation with builders is ... they have opened offices at different places... there are at least 11-12 offices in the whole of Mandalay. There is no legal office they are not stamped but all the slums that are settled here after the demolition. The builders are fooling the slum dwellers by saying that you have land and we will give you houses... submit your proofs to us... that means even if they are of after 200 or 2004, 2003 will do but we want them. We will put them and give you houses. After submitting the proofs they are saying the 95 ones will get homes. The slums that have settled they want to break them as well .They are standing in opposition of breaking them... they are playing so much of politics... the builders are doing more politics than the government. Who's the one to get builders? Government.
Nasreen Bano: Builders have loads of money and the poor dont have money. The poor just have money to eat and only earn so much as to fulfil their daily bread... they can't even earn more then that in a day's hard work and from where can they show the money to builders... from where can they buy the land. Now the builders have put a tap... put a pipe since a year... it's one complete year... there is no sign of water because they tell the people here to get proof of 95.If there is a proof of 95 then there will be water in that pipe.The builders have removed many ways to fool people... if we go to the corporator for telling them what is going on... why are the drains being made?why are roads being made? they say that is just to improve the roads but we have found out that it is not for improving roads but for getting the bulldozers... to demolish houses and those who are settled to make them homeless. Even after rendering homes on 55 acres to be homeless they aren't patient...
Nasreen Bano: That the remaining Mandalay from here... Janta Nagar to Chowkie to raze everything is their idea... they have done this planning and are sitting this is going on with the builders. Their idea is to clear the settlement and make huge buildings and after giving houses to a few and after that make a fool out of everybody and send them to U.P. In U.P are they going to let us live peacefully... they will not let us live peacefully in U.P they are fighting over ancestral land... it's in every village... in the Narmada Ghats,ancestral lands were looted and ancestral lands were looted in Nandigram... they are shooting people with guns. Only in Mumbai they've not shot women,they've lathi charged every women and cases of 307 were pressed, can women be murdered... they pressed murder charges, half murder charges when nothing has happened to that watchman, still they filed a murder case and it's registered till today on them and those women go on those dates.
Nasreen Bano: They've even stayed in jail for 3 months... now you tell me.
Off screen: what is going on in houses and what is the rent?
Nasreen Bano: The rent in houses is Rs. 700/house... one family is paying Rs. 700 as rent for such houses. The deposit for such houses is Rs10,000- Rs. 15,000 and one month passes by comfortably and in the next month...and in the third month the planning to increase rents starts.How will we live? how will we stay? We dont understand what to do and what not to do? we dont understand but due to our Ghar Bachao Ghar Banao protest
we haven't let any builder to inspect our land. We haven't allowed them to put their feet there and our land is safe and our madarasa is also safe... our mosques also is in a safe condition and studies are conducted, prayers are conducted... everything is safe under our Ghar Bachao Gahr Banao protest and if government doesn't settle by good planning. If they don't give it to us due to builders...because we have given them RS 2000 for 40ps/acre... if the government doesn't give it to us and gives it to the builders... then we wont let the builders settle here or allow outsiders to settle over here. Only people from Mandala will be allowed to make a house on this land... even if we lose our lives... or are shot...even if anything happens only we are going to occupy it... At the earliest.
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