| |
In January 2004, the Tourism Ministry of the Government of India announced its plan of developing a 100-acre strip of land on the banks of the river Yamuna into a riverside promenade with parks and fountains which would be marketed as major tourist attractions. At the time this plan was unveiled, the riverbank and bed along this stretch was occupied by the Yamuna Pushta ‘jhuggi-jhonpdi’ colony, a string of settlements home to around 35,000 working class families - more than 150,000 people – some of whom had lived here for over three decades. In February and April 2004, homes and community buildings along the banks of the Yamuna were razed to the ground in several 24-hour long operations. Having followed the events leading up to the so-called ‘voluntary’ demolitions which exploded into intense protests and forceful and violent suppression by the authorities, the authors of this present volume decided to expand the scope of their research and undertake a comprehensive household survey to map the situation on the ground in one of the relocation sites, Bawana, with respect to the commitments made in key policy documents. In carrying out the household survey, they chose women as their primary interlocutors since they are ideally situated to unravel and expose the interconnections and synergy between patriarchy and other systems of domination and inequality.
A critical exposé of a travesty in the name of urban development, Swept off the Map raises uncomfortable questions about the collective responsibility of authorities and all citizens in ensuring that uprooted communities such as the one from Pushta live with dignity in the face of the repeated assaults on their identities, homes, rights and lives.
ISBN - 9788190618618
|
| |
Pages : 200
|