For slums, polls an opportunity to demand better facilities

People from slum clusters and unauthorised colonies — who comprise almost 50 per cent of Delhi’s population and actually vote — are looking at municipal polls as an opportunity to demand better basic amenities. Nivedita Khandekar reports.

People from slum clusters and unauthorised colonies — who comprise almost 50 per cent of Delhi’s population and actually vote — are looking at municipal polls as an opportunity to demand better basic amenities.

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These days, the local councillor has become a popular figure among them to seek facilities including internal roads and better sanitation system. “Drains, alleys, removal of garbage and a proper sewer network are basic needs. Each councillor got R2 crore last year but they did nothing,” said Jawahar Singh of Jhuggi Jhonpri Ekta Manch.

Claiming that population in unauthorised colonies is actually 70 per cent, Jyoti Sharma from NGO Force — which works in slum areas of south, west and east Delhi — said councillors have a big role to play in addressing the basic water and sanitation needs of people.

Force has helped form a Nari Nirmal Awas Samiti comprising women from these areas. The women of the samiti have drawn up a ‘maang patra’ (demand letter) for these councillors.

Some of the demands on the letter include their rehabilitation at the same place, availability of clean drinking water and community toilets, cleaning of drains, a good sewer network and a dustbin for each of the 250 houses.