Ask Maharashtra Chief Minister to immediately rehabilitate the dwellers of demolished slums of Mumbai

To:  Vilasrao Deshmukh (CM, Maharashtra)

June 27-30, 2005.
Vilasrao Deshmukh
Chief Minister Maharashtra
Mantralaya. Mumbai.

Dear Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukhji,

While you are touring the USA we are writing to remind you of the plight of thousands of families living in the open in Mumbai, amidst heavy rains, in wet mud floors and with no shelter even for the children, sick and the aged. These are families who have been working in Mumbai for several years, living vibrant lives in its slums, that your government demolished without an iota of a plan for rehabilitation. These families have suffered in the open rubbles through the cold winter. Now they are in the open in the rains. These demolitions were ruthlessly executed violating the election promises that brought your government to power. The press reports of the past few months mention a figure of total 80,000-90,000 families that were demolished.

We are aware that after long agitation by the slum dwellers and a dharna in Azad Maidan that lasted a month, and the concerned letters written by Sonia Gandhi and position taken by some MLAs and MPs of the Congress, you have recently promised to rehabilitate the demolished families that had come to Mumbai before 2000. Your promise is to provide 150 sq foot per family in eastern and western suburbs of Mumbai. We commend you on the decision to rehabilitate these families in their respective zones in Mumbai and we urge you to act speedily to do the same, ensuring that they get reasonable space.

Meanwhile the monsoon is here. People, women, children are facing hell. How and when will those two chunks of land in east and west suburbs of Mumbai be distributed? Where will children (1 lakh children were thrown out of schools due to demolitions) be admitted for school? Sickness, deaths, everything is today a part of the plight. The slum people of Mumbai need immediate respite and are looking to their Chief Minister to do the needful.

The High Court has said categorically that slum related policy and rehabilitation is the State’s job and that you needn’t wait for the Court’s permission to do the obvious – ie to rehabilitate people.

We demand that your government:

* Provide the demolished slum dwellers of Mumbai relief so that they can fend for themselves against the monsoons.
* Plan schools for children so they do not fall behind.
* Mobilize health workers and doctors to work with the people
living in the open so that they are cared for.
* Announce an immediate date by which the land will be given to all the demolished families who came to Mumbai before year 2000.

We believe that it is people not profits that have primacy and development starts with core human values which alone can build an India that can sustain the dreams of its billions.

We remain,
India’s concerned citizens,

Sincerely,

The Undersigned

The Ask Maharashtra Chief Minister to immediately rehabilitate the dwellers of demolished slums of Mumbai Petition to Vilasrao Deshmukh (CM, Maharashtra) was created by and written by Prashant Jawalikar (pjawalikar@yahoo.com).  This petition is hosted here at www.PetitionOnline.com as a public service. There is no endorsement of this petition, express or implied, by Artifice, Inc. or our sponsors. For technical support please use our simple Petition Help form.

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