The settlements always experiencing vulnerability
In the midst of development activities, there’s always a price to be paid. The question is who pays the price and how long will the price be paid? The ones who live on the periphery are often struggling for a living, so they put up a hut and have been living for decades in such an environment. They were living amidst the greenery in safety, they were bulldozed into as the government wanted the land to construct apartments, we don’t know for whom? It is so ironical that the ones, who construct the houses, are the ones who are forced to live in the open air, with no safety or security. The community is living on the pavement and in this monsoon season they were hounded with bull dozers and police force as if they are terrorists and not citizens of this country.
In such situation we stand helpless, as nothing works out, people try to save the little belongings they have and begin to reconstruct their huts, as they have no other alternative. We stand in solidarity with them as they struggle to rebuild their lives. Accompanying them to the Urban Local Bodies to put pressure on the government to find a solution is also another aspect of expressing our solidarity.
Their zest for life; the smiles with which they welcome us in spite of the insecurity, gives us a ray of hope, to continue being with them.