[Reader-list] Letters from NM 02

[Shveta]

>From the Urban Study List
urbanstudygroup at sarai.net
Feb 8, 2006
from: sanjays at deakin.edu.au

I was interested to read about NM, since I have some familiarity with it in
connection with a research project.It has an interesting history, since a key
person responsible for getting people to 'settle' there was a Sakhi (and later
became the pradhan), but who has since moved away.

The manner in which the 'official' NM population was was determined is also
significant. This was done through a 'Survey' (resisted for many years by some
residents) in June-July 2005. This exercise is carried out in order to
determine households who are eligible for plot allotment elsewhere, once the
locality is demolished. An interesting aspect is that the Slum Wing has only
recorded 2808 households in the entire area! That is, roughly, a population of
15,000-20,000). In fact, the suggestion from the Slum Wing is that this is the
actual population (an underestimate, since many at the time of the survey did
not have proper documentation to be counted as 'eligible household'). If there
are indeed around 100,000 people there (though this figure seems on the high
side), where will the rest go? Recently, NM has been visited by groups of women
from re-settlement colonies such as the outlying Bawana who are keen to provide
as much information as they can about the rights people have with respect to
laying claim to a plot of land in a resettlement colony. (Coincidentally, just
yesterday (7th) , a group from NM was plannig to visit VP Singh re. the
demolitions).

Since, not many know what is to become of the land (and want to know, given all
the hard work they've put into converting the once fly-ash covered land into a
habitable one), there was a move sometime ago to file a RTI petition. Sometime
in December, all except two entrances and exits to the settlement were blocked
by the PWD, and soon after a rumour gained ground that demolition notices ahd
been served. This turned out to be a notice to some to remove their
houses/shops from near the high-tension wires and towers that run through NM.

Regards,
Sanjay Srivastava






CM at Nangla wrote:

>Notice Board
>By “Jaanu” and Lakhmi
>
>Signboards. Sometimes they tell the way, sometimes give unsolicited advise,
>sometimes instruct how one must conduct oneself in the city, and sometimes
>distract you from your path by making your attention wander. “Gas
>pipeline underneath. Do not excavate.” “The name of this crossroad is
>-------.” “Welcome to Delhi Railway Station.” “Get your tenant
>verified before trusting him with your house.” “Punctured tyres are
>repaired here.” A board amid the soft breaths of many in front of an
>emergency ward, announcing, “Emergency Ward”. “Please Use Me”
>written on garbage bins. And a board in my neighbourhood which gives the
>impression of the presence of a property dealer in the vicinity: “Cheap
>plots available here.” But to tell you the truth, there is neither any
>property dealer here, nor any property! But the board remains standing in
>its place.
>
>There is one more board that falls in the company of these boards. It's a
>notice board that appears from time to time in front of colonies in the
>wake of the State's “cleanliness drives”. It's a board that doesn’t
>say anything of its own, but repeats the contents of the sheet that is
>pasted on it. One such board stands in front of a locality in my
>neighbourhood. It reads:
>
>“This land is the property of the government. It should be vacated. It
>can be broken at any time.”
>
>Everyone's hair stood on end each time they saw this board.
>
>***
>
>It was cowdust hour. Komal bhai read this board as he entered the
>settlement. Image after image appeared and spoiled in his mind. Carrying
>these forming, dissolving images through narrow lanes, he reached his
>house. He rested his hand on the frame of the door and called out,
>“Meena, open the door.” Meena recognised her husband's voice and opened
>the door immediately. Komal bhai said, “Take these bananas. Where is
>ammi? Has she eaten dinner?”
>
>Komal bhai's mother heard his voice and said, “Yes, son. Bahu fed me, and
>was sitting with me when you came. Now both of you eat and then get a good
>night's rest.”
>
>Komal bhai washed his hands and face, asked Meena for his waist cloth,
>wiped his face with it and then tied it around his waist. Meena had spread
>some newspaper on the bed, laid a plate with food on it, and now she sat
>waiting for Komal. Komal bhai came and immediately broke a piece of bread.
>Then, as he put the morsel in his mouth he said, “Meena, why don't you
>eat...”
>
>He became quite for a while, and then said, “Meena, have you heard...?”
>“Why, what happened?” she asked.
>Komal bhai said, “Today as I entered the settlement, my eyes fell on a
>blue board. It read, 'This land is the property of the government. Vacate
>it'.”
>“Are you saying you've just seen it!” Meena said. “I have known about
>this for some days now. Ask ammi if you like.”
>Ammi couldn't contain herself any longer and came and sat on the bed by her
>son. She said, “Son, there's nothing new in this.”
>“But there is, mother. I read the board today.”
>“But son, that board has been there since Tuesday. Bahu pointed it out to
>me. Everyone knows about it. Son, worrying will not help. Go to sleep. What
>will be in the morning will be.”
>
>The night was pitch dark. The window of the room was open, but nothing
>stirred. It was as dark inside as it was outside. Everything looked alike.
>Footsteps of a drunk man began to be heard. Lost in his own world, he was
>saying something. Suddenly, his voice became louder.
>
>“Mark my words. This settlement will get broken tomorrow, otherwise I
>will change my name,” he said.
>Another voice came, “I dare you to even touch this settlement!”
>“Tomorrow it will be seen. Tomorrow it will be seen.”
>
>As soon as Meena heard these voices, she got out of her bed and said to
>Komal, “This settlement will be there tomorrow.”
>“You've seen a bad dream. Go to sleep.” Saying this, Komal turned over
>to go back to sleep, when he heard the same voice. He raised his head and
>concentrated. He heard, “This settlement will be broken tomorrow. Don't
>think I am drunk. I am in my senses today.”
>Komal said, “He is some mad drunkard. Don't worry Meena. Come, sleep next
>to me.”
>
>***
>
>Komal and Meena woke up together in the morning. Both listened to the
>sounds coming from the window, trying to make out the time from these
>sounds. But they felt disoriented. Waves of silence and restlessness seemed
>to be flowing in through the window. Komal jumped out of bed, opened the
>door and looked out. He stepped out, moving through the lanes, towards the
>entrance to the locality. Doors to every house were open. It seemed there
>were far more doors, too few walls in these lanes.
>
>This was the morning when the drunkard's words were going to become
>reality. Police force descended on the settlement like a fog, settling over
>everything, changing everything just by touching it with its long fingers.
>Spotting a uniformed man, Komal walked up to him and asked, “Bhai, what
>is going on here?”
>The police man replied, “Why? Haven't you read the notice board?”
>“No sir, I haven't.”
>“Well then! Empty the colony. It will be demolished today.”
>Seeing Komal talk to the police man, some people came and stood near him.
>The words of the drunkard rang in their ears, as if he was mocking them,
>“You thought I was drunk last night! Look, look for yourself now. Watch
>the liquor from last night flow today morning. Now go and vacate your
>houses. Go! All these big bosses – these policemen – they are not
>standing here wasting their time!”
>
>Komal turned towards his settlement, looking at the narrow lane leading
>into it. In all these years that it had been there, today was going to be
>the first time that a vehicle other than a bicycle was going to pass
>through it. This “first” vehicle was going to be a bulldozer. And once
>it would pass through, there would be no scope left for any other to pass
>through ever again.
>
>
>
>CM Lab, Nangla Maanchi
>-------------------------------------------
>Pyaason ki pyaas bujhata hai Nangla,
>Dilli mein aane walon ka basera hai Nangla.
>-------------------------------------------
>
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