In Indian cities, the quest for dignity
Hindustan TimesCities in India are characterised by institutionalised inequalities. However, a slum need not remain a slum forever Geeta Devi used to live and work as construction worker at Yamuna Pushta in Delhi. We detail a long-drawn-out process, involving a chain of actors, from individual households to a non-governmental organisation — Mahila Housing Trust — to officials and elected representatives of the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation, among others. The real spark for change starts with the women in slum households who have to queue up to get water; who suffer humiliation when they have to defecate in the open or in badly-maintained public toilets; who have to look after those who get sick from the open festering drains. Many cities still subscribe to an unhelpful policy which enjoins that the people living in “unauthorised” colonies are not eligible to get water and sanitation from the city, although they are “authorised” citizens, holding ration cards, working in the city and contributing to its economy.
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