NGOs make a cry for rights of capital’s urban poor

Claiming that the urban poor too are taxpayers —they pay VAT on various items — several NGOs in the sector have demanded from candidates in the municipal polls commitments for improvement of respective areas.

Claiming that the urban poor too are taxpayers —they pay VAT on various items — several NGOs in the sector have demanded from candidates in the municipal polls commitments for improvement of respective areas.

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The NGOs plan to approach candidates from about 150 wards across Delhi and have already met those from 60. “Candidates from both BJP and Congress have given a positive response,” said Sadare Aalam from Delhi Young Artists Forum.

Attacking the pathetic performance of the civic body vis-à-vis the Right to Education among the urban poor, Dharmender Yadav, of the All India Kachra Shramik
Mahasangh, claimed: “Forget good education, our children are picking up plastic and other garbage from the streets.”

Other demands include rehabilitation of people from slums at the same place so their livelihoods are not affected. “How can authorities send away those who have been living at a place for 35-40 years,” Jawahar Singh from Jhuggi Jhompri Ekta Manch said.