From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Dear Friends, Greetings from Mumbai!
We write to you sitting from the demolished slum of Mandala in Mankurd, Mumbai. As you know the torrential rains in Mumbai have affected the slum dwellers in particular as they mostly live in low lying areas and places with out proper drainage. The people whose houses were demolished as part of the recent slum demolitions were one of the worst affected group. Without having a proper shelter, they had to live in such conditions bringing shame to human existence. As part of the relief efforts, we from National Alliance of People's Movements are supporting the people to erect a roof of their heads. What people need most at this time is shelter. On 31st of July, Police came and lathicharged a group of women who were putting up community kitchen and confiscated rice and other relief materials. Over five thousand people hence have started putting up plastic sheets on bamboos in Mandala slum. Many of the activists including Ms Medha Patkar are staying in the community to realize their right to shelter. We apprehend that the state may act again as they did on July 31st and demolish what the people are building braving rains and wind. We appeal to you to build pressure on the government of Mahrashtra by way of sending urgent faxes urging the government to allow the slum dwellers to have their right for shelter. Your support means a lot to us now. Please consider this as urgent and mobilize as many faxes from your area ( a draft is given below for consideration). Thanking you, Yours in struggle, Pervin Jehangir Aisha bi Arif Kadiri Simpreet Kaushalya Salvi ---------------------------------------- DRAFT FAX MESSAGE FOR CONSIDERATION Please address to 1. Mr. Vilasrao Deshmukh, Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Fax - 022- 22029214 / 23631446 Phone: 23634950: Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] 2. R.R. Patil, Deputy C.M., Maharashtra FAX: 022 - 22024873 Phone: 22022401 & 22024300 Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sub: Appeal for realizing the basic human rights of slum dwellers in Mumbai. Dear Sir, We feel agonized to write to you after the unprecedented calamity that has hit Mumbai and Maharashtra. We know the pressure and challenges you are going through trying to deal with all kinds of needs and requirements. The actual calamity now known to be unprecedented because of the unplanned development in Mumbai obstructing natural waterways and drainage systems and did not differentiate between castes, class and gender. The worst affected however are those who are shelterless facing the torrential rains or live in such shelters, which do not stand such calamities. The families whose houses were demolished in the recent drive number around 70,000 who were in the open or in houses, which were flooded. The whole of mumbai understood the value of shelter the people in the demolished slums had to face the rains with no shelter of their own. Thousands are living in such conditions bringing shame not just to the government and country but to whole of humanity. Many of them live with out a roof over their heads or under very temporary structures that too under the constant threat of demolition. The conditions are such that, any out break of diseases will lead to an epidemic with water logging, lack of sanitation and drainage. The demolished slum dwellers need your care and support and more importantly a roof over their head. Every human being have a basic right to shelter as part of their right to life and livelihood. We request you under this circumstance of extreme suffering and trauma to allow the slum dwellers to rebuild their houses which could protect them from the vagaries of nature. We also request you not to resort to police action as was done in Mandala, Mankurd, Mumbai and allow the people to live like human beings. Yours sincerely,
