While Saif Ali Khan was playing spy in Latvia, fighting the bad guys for Agent Vinod, storyboard artist for the film, Devasandhan Nair was battling another set of 'baddies' out to usurp his home. Sunday Mid day spent an afternoon at Golibar's working class colony that's up for another round of demolition this week, that residents claim is rogue development in the name of redevelopment
While Saif Ali Khan was playing spy in Latvia, fighting the bad guys for Agent Vinod, storyboard artist for the film, Devasandhan Nair was battling another set of 'baddies' out to usurp his home. Sunday Mid day spent an afternoon at Golibar's working class colony that's up for another round of demolition this week, that residents claim is rogue development in the name of redevelopment
Hum nahin hatenge, builder ko hatayenge (We won't leave, we'll make the builder leave) reads a signage on the demolished section of a home inside Ambewadi, Golibar in Santacruz (E).
The flimsy blue plastic sheet flutters in the afternoon breeze, offering a glimpse of the interiors -- neatly plastered walls, mosaic tiled flooring and a flat screen television up on a wall. Several such makeshift walls provide temporary respite to semi-demolished homes inside this service class locality.
Devasandhan Nair and his wife live in a 100 sq feet home that doubles
up as his studio in Ambevadi, Golibar. Pics/Vikas Munipalleu00a0
Ambewadi constitutes one of the areas within Golibar which stretches across 140 acres of disputed land, home to 26,000 families. Of these, 10,000 homes have already been demolished under the Slum Rehabilitation Act (SRA) to make way for a project called Santa City.
Bulldoze the odds
Life goes on for most of Ambewadi's residents but the tension is palpable. "You can break our homes but you cannot break our spirit," thunders 47 year-old resident and film professional Devasandhan Nair as we negotiate the rubble and ruin.
We settle inside his 100 sq feet home that doubles up as a studio. Deva, as he is known in the area, reveals his plans to recreate this locality's never-say-die spirit in a graphic novel, with photographer friend Javed Iqbal.
"I was born here. My family lived here. I will never leave," he says, taking us through a showreel of work on his laptop, balanced on two briefcases. It contains storyboards ranging from those for television serial Captain Vyom to his most recent work -- action scenes for Saif Ali Khan Productions' Agent Vinod, and Harman Baweja's Vicky Kartoos.
The action-thriller starring Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor directed by Sriram Raghavan is expected to release at the end of the year.
"These days, I also make AV presentations of storyboards. A scene takes about a week to finalise from start to scratch. In comparison, I need a day to complete up to 10 frames in sketch format. It all depends on the detailing," he says, throwing a glance at wife Anita effortlessly flipping a dosa on a tawa.
Deva didn't formally train in art or computers. "I'm an SSC pass," he says. "I read a lot, and was member of the USIS Library -- science fiction, and the mysteries of the universe fascinated me. Slowly, I got drawn to the film industry, acting in particular. I met South Indian director BC Shekhar. We parted ways but he ignited in me a spark for the movies. I was only 20 and struggling to get a foothold."
Meanwhile, he sold books for Lotus and Childcraft to earn a living. Later, Deva assisted Devendra Khandelwal and Anil Sharma as Chief Assistant Director, and worked on Ketan Mehta's Captain Vyom and Kavita Chowdhary's Your Honour.
In 2002, Priya Singh Paul signed him on for a storyboard and Deva ended up getting involved in directing too. "I kept shifting directors until I met Parvez Fazal Khan, action director for films like Gangster and Johnny Gaddar. He offered me the action sequences for Agent Vinod."
Home truths
It's in 2009 that the scenario turned intense at Golibar. "Until then, I wasn't involved. But I couldn't ignore what was happening. People around me, mostly employed in 9-5 jobs or on contract, turned jobless because they joined the movement to save their homes."
u00a0
Deva let go of a directing job because his presence at protests was crucial. For a contract worker, if word gets around about job refusal, it doesn't help his cause. "Many like me from the film industry live here -- lightmen, production assistants, make-up artists, dressers, technicians. Others have full-time jobs at call centres, or are car salesmen, drivers and electricians."
Deva leads us to the meeting area, a site where five homes once stood. A few seniors help the youth apply finishing touches to a banner requesting authorities to halt demolitions during the SSC and HSC examinations. "During the February 2 drive, they took away our children's books," complains a young mother.
Lightman Uday Kumar who has worked on big budget films including Salman Khan-starrer Veer, leads us to his partially demolished home while the group at the meeting area sip on chai while discussing the agenda for the evening meet, a regular feature these days.
It's high noon. The sun is beating down into homes. Clotheslines dangle precariously on low ceilings, and chipped off tiles reveal the sorry tale of once-sturdy houses.
Septuagenarian GM Tandlekar who lives with his wife, three sons and their families, lost part of his home last month. "I came here in 1959. When the men arrived with hathodas on January 20 this year, we tried to save whatever we could. The men sleep outdoors now. Our kids can study only at tuition class, and water supply is available only from 4.30 am to 8.30 am," he laments.
Still, Tandlekar won't leave. His defiant posture on a partly-broken bed outside reflects his stance as stuffed toys, furniture and utensils from his home lie stacked against a torn down wall.
"That's where Medha Patkar was arrested on January 20," Deva says about the social activist, pointing out to a clearing 500 metres away. Demolitions typically last for three days. A day before, the locals discuss their plan of action, and on the fifth day, they set out to help the displaced. "We pool our resources -- carpenters and manual labour rebuild homes, and community kitchens are set up to feed families," says Deva.
No to rogue development
Deva says the residents aren't opposed to redevelopment. It's rogue redevelopment they won't allow. Shivalik Ventures is a firm they heard of only in 2010. "They are merely the consultants; Unitech is the real firm behind Santa City," says Deva, talking of MD Sanjay Chandra who was "picked up by the CBI for an enquiry".
Transit camps or flats to be provided to 'eligible' slum owners mean nothing to the displaced here. News of unhygenic conditions in transit camps and malaria deaths haven't helped either. "A day before the health officials do a check, builders indulge in a knee-jerk cleanliness drive."
According to activists in the area, flats for rehabilitation have to be within 500 metres of original homes.
However, some of the land on which the flats have been built stand on Indian Air Force land. Another group of buildings is entangled in a dispute with the Railways. The maze of despair doesn't seem to end.
But there's hardly a dearth of support from legal experts and eminent citizens -- Simpreet Singh of Ghar Bachao, Ghar Banao Andolan, trade union leader and slum activist Vivek Pandit, Kranti Kumar, Gayatri Singh and former IPS officer YP Singh.
u00a0
Yet, the road is long and strewn with challenges that lead them to an unholy mix of politicians, land mafia, dalals and the builder lobby. Simpreet Singh, one of the whistleblowers in the Adarsh land scam, has been a supporter of Golibar's residents since 2008.
A February 23, 2011 ruling by the Civil Court that dismissed an appeal by the residents isn't good news. It was connected to a re-appeal regarding their eviction and demolition. Another notice awaits Golibar's residents this week. "Soon, we will have to face another few days of staying away from work," says Deva.
u00a0
Suddenly, almost as if we are trapped in a frame from one of his storyboards, his voice is drowned in the din of a helicopter circling the area. "It's them ufffd we are watched, always."
Did you know?
BEST Route 615 goes via Golibar slum to its far more popular counterpart, Dharavi.
Official speak
An official from the Mumbai Suburban Collector's office said, "A majority of the houses will be going under redevelopment. The ones that were illegal or did not have any documentary proof were broken down."
Activist speak
"Everybody is washing their hands off the residents' cause. The SRA must be scrapped. Such cases should be handed over to a people-friendly nodal agency that can verify the authenticity of papers," says Vivek Pandit, slum activist and trade union leader.
He maintains that most land dispute cases like Golibar reach the SRA that passes it to the Collector, who moves it to the Police. "In this time, homes are demolished, new homes are built and money is made at the rightful owner's expense."
Pandit is confident that while the fear among Golibar's residents will not fade, Shivalik Ventures is doomed. "The project is ridden by loopholes and forgeries. The builder has not complied with the demands of the people. All is not over."
Golibar: In the line of fire
Golibar, the second largest slum after Dharavi occupies the area between the railway lines and the Western Express Highway. It lies roughly three km from the domestic airport. Long ago, the area came under the defence, and was a firing range, giving it its name.
Golibar, in its current avatar, came into existence over 60 years ago. Today, it houses a cosmopolitan population of Maharashtrians, Muslims, Bengalis, Punjabis, Gujaratis and north Indians. Most work as peons, security officers, computer professionals and salesmen and have full-time jobs. Another lot works on contract and belongs to the film industry. The rest are skilled labourers (carpenters, electricians and painters). Of the 26,000 homes, 10,000 have been demolished. Only 550 families have been rehabilitated. Of these, some live in a transit camp while the rest have been handed cheques after they sold their property.
Demolition Timeline (using the Ganesh Krupa Society, one of the societies within Golibar, as an example)
January 1, 1995
The Slum Rehabilitation Act sets this as a cut-off date for eligibility. Slum owners have to provide proof of having owned a home prior to 1995 or having bought it from the previous owner. All those who don't have adequate proof will be declared 'ineligible'.
January 18, 2003
Residents pay property tax worth Rs 5,04,920 to become legal owners of the land.
March 2003
MHADA's survey declares that 199 of the 283 eligible families had given consent for redevelopment by Madhu Constructions. (According to SRA rules, slum developers appoint or approve a builder; 70% is mandatory).
April 2003
Residents of the society sign a tripartite agreement with the SRA and Madhu Constructions.
2004
Madhu Constructions receives a Letter of Intent (LOI) from the SRA for redeveloping Ganesh Krupa Society. (LOI is a permission to go ahead with redevelopment).
March 2, 2008
Madhu Constructions enters with Shivalik Ventures, becoming the new redevelopers, without the knowledge of the Society.
January 2010
178 residents of Ganesh Krupa receive an eviction notice from SRA, which indicates Shivalik Ventures as their new builder. This is the first time that the residents hear of Shivalik Ventures. These 178 families are not present at the mandatory General Body Meeting and they have allegedly signed their consent for the area to be redeveloped by Shivalik Ventures. In fact, one of the signatories, an illiterate, is deceased, it's revealed at the meeting. She has been signed for in English. The residents file an FIR against Shivalik in the matter -- one of the cases of forgery to misrepresent consent.
High court orders (September 15, 2010 and February 2, 2010)
Investigating Officer is directed to complete the investigation, the police follow up on the case, in which the Directors of Shivalik Ventures are named and one offence is non-bailable. The police are still investigating the case.
(According to SRA rules, any developer with a criminal offence must be removed from an SRA project. If these charges are proved, the LOI should be cancelled).
September 21, 2010
Judgment based on a civil case is filed by residents of GKS protesting that 70% had not appointed Shivalik Ventures and that they had not attended any General Body meeting of the Society on February 7, 2009 where the High Court put aside the issue of the meeting and ruled in favour of Shivalik Ventures.
November 14, 2010
A thousand residents wearing black gags take out a silent protest march.
November 25, 2010
Medha Patkar of the National Alliance of People's Movements urges Golibar's residents to insist on their right to a fair deal. A few days later, a contingent from Golibar presents a letter to the Chief Minister signed in blood.
December 28, 2010
While Shivalik Ventures claims to have the consent of 92% of Golibar's residents, a survey by the Ghar Bachao, Ghar Banao Andolan reveals that this builder has only 52% consent.
January 19, 20, 2011
Between 10 to 12 houses are demolished in the eviction drive.
February 2,3, 4, 2011
Thirty houses are demolished in an eviction drive.
February 6, 2011
A mass rally is organised by the Ghar Bachao, Ghar Banao Andolan. Over 4,500 people from Golibar and other slums attend. A People's Inquiry Commission into Shivalik Ventures' activities is instituted.
February 23, 2011
The Civil Court dismisses a re-appeal by Golibar's residents against eviction order and demolition.
www.khareastanolan.wordpress.com and www.countercurrents.org
