True Transformation: Ajanta Nagar Slum Rehabilitation

Monday, 1 March 2004 -- Pune, Maharashtra

The Ajanta Nagar slum rehabilitation in Pune is one of the largest housing projects undertaken by the Mata Amritanandamayi Math thus far. Beginning when Amma performed a bhumipuja on the construction site in 1999, it involves the complete demolition of a nine-acre slum, the temporary relocation of more than 1,700 families and the construction of 28 four- and two-story apartment blocks of apartments. The work is being done in coordination with the local and central government through the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation.

During Amma's March 2004 Pune programmes, the first phase of the project was only a few months from completion. The rehabilitation has been divided into three phases; all of which were clearly visible when you looked around the construction site. On the west side of the site were more than 1,000 dilapidated shanties in which the majority of the slum residents still lived. On the northern side were 600 aluminium shelters, the temporary homes of those whose slum-dwellings had already been razed in order to make room for the first phase of new buildings.

And on the eastern side, 10 rows of apartment blocks--the first phase--were all but complete. This first phase is projected to finish in May 2004, providing new homes for 688 families. The second phase of 562 houses is projected to be completed year after that. And the third phase of 496 houses is projected for completion in the end of 2006.

"This is one of Amma's largest housing projects," says Swami Vidyamritananda, the head of Amma's Pune ashram and the slum-rehabilitation project coordinator. "In four years, we will build 1,746 houses. The newly built neighbourhood will consist of 28 four- and two-story-high apartment blocks that will house almost 10,000 people. The total cost of the project is 18 crores rupees.

"The houses are earthquake-proof and made with the best quality materials. Alongside the apartment block, there will be office and shop space where the inhabitants can start businesses. Once the project is finished, the local authorities will give land to Amma to build some communal facilities like a medical dispensary."

To make sure the poor inhabitants do not, in poor foresight, sell their flats in order to make quick money, a provision has been drawn up preventing the new owners from selling them for 20 years. "After that we think they will have attachment to their house!" says Swami Vidyamritananda.

"They Don't Believe Yet That We Will Finish, But We Will!"

For decades, slum renovations have been major forms of income for some of India's less honest politicians and contractors. Many such projects are financed only to fail, and then sit in half-completion for years. For example, just behind Amma's Pune ashram, are rows of temporary houses built for slum inhabitants with the promise that new houses would be constructed for them--eight years ago. Other typical problems with slum renovations are poor workmanship and the use of substandard materials, such as bad cement. It is also fairly common that slum inhabitants are expelled on the promise of renovation, but then when the project is completed, the new houses are given to other people or rented at exorbitant fees.

The young man in the transit house seems shy and keeps silent, when we ask him if he is happy about the renovation project. After some prodding, he finally says, "I hope they finish the project; then I can say if I am happy or not." The people here are apprehensive. "These people have been pushed around a lot and they have seen so many politicians come with great promises," says one of Amma's brahmacharis working on the site. "They first want to see us finish the work."

"These slums have been used as vote banks by local politicians," explains the brahmachari in charge of Amritakuteeram. "Seventeen hundred houses mean that there are maybe 10,000 voters living here. Any politician can jump in here and talk to the leaders of the slum and promise them something or pay him some money. The local party leader will then make sure everyone in this slum votes for him. So local politicians don't have an interest in renovating slums. They have an interest in keeping the slums as they are. And you see it in the people: they are very apprehensive and don't believe yet that we will finish. But we will! And on time!"

Living in Slums Is Not Cheap

The biggest percentage of India's one billion population still live in rural areas. Life is good there, but working days are hard and long, and there is little money to be made. Many try their luck in the big cities. With limited money and no work, they have little other option then to start life in the slums. Some of them get lucky and soon find steady work and are able to move out. Many, however, do not and remain slum-dwellers for the rest of their lives.

Living in the slums is not cheap. From the outside, it might seem unorganised, but from the inside there are strict "regulations" to which one must adhere. One could say that the slums bring together the worst aspects of poverty, exploitation and corruption. It's not uncommon to pay Rs. 400 to 500 to rent a slum hut. And if you want to build your own hut, you have to pay the local slum leader or a politician for "permission." This will cost somewhere between 5,000 to 10,000 rupees --a fortune for a family earning, at the most, Rs. 1,000 a month.

Electricity is the next step. Although it is most often illegally tapped from a nearby electric post, it is not free. For this you must pay the slum-leader, or a conman, a few hundred rupees each month. Of course none of this money goes to the electric company.

Most slum inhabitants are only able to get occasional work at construction sites. Maybe they can work 10 to 12 days a month this way, earning Rs. 140 to 200 each day. The women will work in nearby "better neighbourhoods" doing menial jobs like washing or cleaning. Many such jobs are also controlled through the same conmen controlling the slums. If the slum-dwellers get into financial trouble, there are moneylenders to help them out; they apply steep interest rates and don't hesitate to resort to violence when collecting debts. The slums are also home to rampant prostitution, petty crime and illegal alcohol production (and consumption).

Slums like Ajanta Nagar are like stagnant ponds. In order to transform such neighbourhoods and the people who live in them, they must be connected to a river of hope and compassion. With Amritakuteeram, this is what Amma is trying to do. When the first phase of houses opens in May, and people who were once living in huts assembled from other people's trash suddenly find themselves in spacious flats with kitchens and bathrooms, perhaps then they will start to believe in this rehabilitation and that's when their own transformation can begin.

--Devadath