Carlo Torriani

SWARGA DWAR

The conversion of a catholic missionary

presented by

Card. Simon Pimenta

PIME Publications, PIME Regional House, Eluru - 534 0-07, A.P., India

HOUSES IN CHUNABHATTI SLUM

Letter No. 29, November 1986

Dear Friends,

    We can surely say that Lok Seva Sangam (LSS) has been born under the bridge of Chunabhatti, but after 15 years of work very little has changed under there. Chunabhatti is a small slum where LSS started the first balwadi and the first dispensary. 1600 persons are living there of whom may be 200 are leprosy patients, Since it is unauthorised settlement, there is no electricity, no tap water, no sanitation. We did try all the possible ways to get a water connection. All the social workers of LSS were put on this duty but bureaucracy is bureaucracy. The slum is on railway land so the railway authority say: “ Water supply is the duty of the municipality”. Those of the municipality say: “Without the permission of the railway we can’t give water connection, your slum is unauthorised and nothing can be done. So since more than 15 years the people are born, get sick and die without being authorised.

We tried also to call a private party to drill a well at our expenditure. When they came to see the site they got frightened and declined to do the drilling because they said: “We are too near to the sea and you will get salty water.”

    From time to time the collector for encroachment sends a squad with police protection and demolishes the huts too near to the rails. This happened four or five times. Once, ten years ago, along with the people we resisted. We told the police: “If you demolish our huts and take away the material, then take away also ourselves.” We all jumped on the lorries loaded with poles and corrugated sheets.

At the Matunga police station they threatened to deport me in 24 hours, but at the end of the day they had to recognise the right of the people to be there.

    Finally the time came when the highway had to be enlarged and also the bridge. The authorities shifted the 160 families affected by the project in another part of the city, at Malwani. Although the place was 20 km. away, people were happy because they would have a larger house,, authorised, with proper road, water tap, electricity and toilet. But the resident of Malwani did not want among them those evidently deformed. 58 families had to come back. The collector took the exceptional decision of allotting 58 pitches, only 3 by 3 m. instead of 3 by 5 as normal, on the land near the highway. They reconstructed they huts with corrugated sheets.

    LSS is planning to build the 58 plots with bricks. But to build in the city you need a lot permissions and o lot of black money. We engaged an architect. To make a plan you need a map of the area. No office was ready to give the map. Not the municipality because the land belong to Public Work Department. Not the PWD because public land’s map can’t be given to private party. No official wants to take the responsibility to give a signature or put something in writing. But the real reason is that nobody wants to do anything for the leprosy patients. We went to the collector who promised all his support. Let us hope.

    Usually leprosy patients are sent out, far away. If we succeed in building these 58 rooms for them it will be a good thing. They will be rehabilitated in the same place, inside the city.

We hope also in your prayers.