Slum Movements

This Ambedkar Nagar land, adjacent to a BEST bus depot and close to the military cantonment, was carved out of sea and the mangroves. It was initially developed by the slum mafia who were involved in land filling and selling pitches marked with bamboos to poor migrants on a regular basis. General surveys revealed that the slum came up in 1990 or thereabouts when shanties were raised on bamboo stilts above the debris, deposits of Rs 5,000 was collected and rent fixed at Rs 150 a month. After electricity and water connections came, the rent shot up to Rs 300 a month. The Slumlords created the land and the authorities looked the other way.

This Ambedkar Nagar land, adjacent to a BEST bus depot and close to the military cantonment, was carved out of sea and the mangroves. It was initially developed by the slum mafia who were involved in land filling and selling pitches marked with bamboos to poor migrants on a regular basis. General surveys revealed that the slum came up in 1990 or thereabouts when shanties were raised on bamboo stilts above the debris, deposits of Rs 5,000 was collected and rent fixed at Rs 150 a month. After electricity and water connections came, the rent shot up to Rs 300 a month. The Slumlords created the land and the authorities looked the other way.

By 2000 Cuffe Parade's mangroves had been relentlessly hacked as 1000 huts had sprung up in Ambedkar Nagar and neighbouring Ganesh Murthy Nagar. There was an obvious nexus between the slumlords, the civic body and the collector's office and the development of slum was an organized affair. Land was marked with bamboos lashed together and anchored in mangroves. When a 'plot' was sold, wooden planks and tarpaulin were fitted. As occupant progressed in life, rickety huts become pucca houses. Some stilt owners sold the house once it turned into brick to trade comfort for money in hand.

From 1990 to 2000, there was a 25 percent increase in slums in Colaba, the population of Ambedkar Nagar has increased from 1248 to 4991. Most residents in these slums were drivers, domestic help, gardeners, vegetable vendors, security guards serving in the nearby residential and government buildings within the 1 km radius.

Nivara Hakk first intervened here in 1993, during the riots of Mumbai, where it arranged to give compensation through government and private sources for riot victims residing in the slums who lost everything due to arson and looting.

The slum hit the headlines in 1997 when it was served a demolition notice of 48 hours it had to make way for a helipad proposed on this land. The helipad in the heart of the city was the brainchild of the Ambani family, who wanted their commutes hassle-free with a helipad next to their home. Around 4,000 people faced eviction for the benefit of India's richest corporate family. The Ambani family, using their might got the necessary approvals for a helipad, flouting both the CRZ Act as well as the safety and noise Pollution laws that forbids helipads in densely populated residential areas. The Residents Association of Colaba, who often had problems with the slums in their area, for the first time came together along with the poor residents of slums to oppose this proposal as it would disturb the peace and tranquility of their area.

However on 23rd April 1997, these huts were demolished to build a helipad. No attempt was made to identify those who were eligible for alternative accommodation; these poor residents lost everything they had on account of destruction and then there was a fire that consumed whatever was left of their belongings.

In January 1998, the process of listing eligible families was handed over to slum lords and leaders who smuggled in 150 non-eligible people and made them official beneficiaries for rehab. This list was submitted to the deputy collector and the entire process was scandalously handled by MLA Ashok Datrak. Several plots were reserved in benami names who were fronts for MLA Datrak and were officially marked on the site plan. Activists were threatened and the poor who were against him, had their huts pulled down. Police did not take action against complaints initiated against him. Another slumlord Raiz Quereshi officially reserved 3000 sq.ft land for himself and did not allow any other allotters to build their houses next to the plot.

The plan drafted by the slum lords and the MLA had lapses, CRZ was violated due to land filling, narrow lanes were planned which would not allow emergency vehicles in and basic services like water, sanitation, drainage was not planned for. Nivara Hakk demanded criminal action against the MLA, government listing of eligible slum dwellers and improvement in site planning.

In 1998, 500 hutments were shifted to New Ambedkar Nagar on the nearby plot but several legally allotted persons received a notice dated 4th Sept 2000 to show why they should not be evicted from the original Ambedkar Nagar since they were deemed illegal encroachers. Even after submitting evidence they were declared as encroachers as their huts were coming in the way of accessing a garbage dump. This eviction was not needed as there was access from the helipad side too and the residents sought a stay order. For a long time, 130 original families were not given alternate plots due to the ruckus created by the slum mafia but eventually 1500 families were resettled to make way for a helipad. Even the basic services like electricity, water and sanitation facilities were given after years of negotiations and struggle.

Today, while the original Ambedkar Nagar has lurched back to normalcy at a new site and with probably some change in those who occupy the slum homes, there is a double irony that cannot be lost. The helipad, opposed by residents associations and probably by the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) never came up despite all the Ambani efforts, raising the question as to why the slum was demolished in the first place. And, unknown to most, the Adarsh Cooperative Society, quietly came to be built right next to Ambedkar Nagar flouting every rule in the book – illegal use of defense land, CRZ violations etc – because it was the high and mighty like former chief minister Ashok Chavan and his ilk who had flats in the building. It was only much later in 2010 that the lid came off the Adarsh scam due to media exposes, and the project was stayed.

Struggle Chronology