YUVA MUMBAI
I have lived in Sewri for the past 20 years. On the footpath. We have no toilet facilities, no water or electricity. The Municipality gives us a lot of trouble. They come to evict us. They say go wherever you have come from. How do we do that. If we had enough to eat there, why should we have come to Mumbai in the first place? We fought against the police; we did not leave when they came. Do what you will, we are not going to leave our place, we told them. Elections came round. They came to us for votes. The Shiv Sena won. Will they listen to us? They want to make Mumbai beautiful, and once they decide that, without doubt they will remove bastis. They think we are like an ugly black mark on the body. What about the lives of the poor? The BMC squad comes every day, they bring vehicles. I had bought clothes for my son’s marriage. The squad arrived on the same day. They took everything, we lost all but the clothes on our bodies. So, the poor don’t need houses? Whenever there is a theft the police rushes into jhopadpattis first… they think that we are thieves. They enter any house and conduct searches. Don’t the poor have any izzat (respect)? Do the poor steal to live? Tell me, do the rich ever come up without stealing? If Mumbai is to be made beautiful, the attack will be on the poor. We have formed a Mahila Manch. We have learnt to confront the police without fear now.