No funds for food: 4 community kitchens in Mumbai slums run dry

Four community kitchens that came to the aid of nearly 4,000 people in the slums of M-East ward (Govandi, Deonar, and Mankhurd) have run out of funds to keep their

Four community kitchens that came to the aid of nearly 4,000 people in the slums of M-East ward (Govandi, Deonar, and Mankhurd) have run out of funds to keep their stoves lit.

A community kitchen in Indira Nagar-2, Mulund. (HT Photo)

The kitchens, in Janta Nagar, Maharashtra Nagar, Indira Nagar-2 and Bainganwadi-Chikalwadi, were started on April 25 to aid workers and migrant labourers who had lost their jobs during the lockdown. Functioning out of the narrow lanes of the slums, with the aid of volunteers who assisted in cleaning, cutting, and packing the meals, the kitchens continued till May 31.

“The kitchen in Janta Nagar is still functioning, but we might stop in a few days since there are no funds. From two meals a day, we are now preparing dinner for about 1,400 people,” said Umar Shaikh, 52, who was running the kitchen in Janta Nagar.

“We started the kitchen after realising that even if we distribute dry rations, bigger families with 10-12 people might exhaust it within a few days. Around 70% of the people living in these areas don’t even have ration cards to avail any benefits,” said Shaikh, who runs a plywood business when he is not volunteering.

The kitchens functioned with institutional funding arranged by the Tata Institute of Social Sciences’ (TISS) M-ward project and help from organisations like Ghar Bachao, Ghar Banao Andolan, said Ishaad Shaikh, who works with the M ward project. “We also provided two bananas and eggs to the children in these areas,” he added.

In Bainganwadi, volunteers were running two separate kitchens by creating makeshift arrangements in the narrow gullies. “We used to make veg pulao, khichdi, and dal. If we started work at 6am, it would go on till night. We arranged for utensils from caterers and also learnt to cook,” said Shakir Hussain, who works with the Mumbai-based Centre for Promoting Democracy and Pani Haq Samiti.