Many issues were discussed at Behavioural Science Centre, Navrangpura, on Tuesday by an expert panel that opined that the city's urban development projects were meant only for the elite.
-A Rs1,500 crore Sabarmati Riverfront Development project omits resettlement issues of the poor
-Close to 1600 families live in makeshift shanties in Piplaj, constantly under threat from snakes, stench, contaminated water and cold waves
-Not a single survey carried out till date to understand and document economic activities of the poor before the demolition of their houses
Many such issues were discussed at Behavioural Science Centre, Navrangpura, on Tuesday by an expert panel that opined that the city's urban development projects were meant only for the elite and not the poor.
Organised by ANHAD, a city-based NGO, the panel discussion was aimed at highlighting issues of the poor, mainly ignored by the government. The panelists included Prof Navdeep Mathur from IIMA, Dr Renu Desai from Cept, Bina Jadav, an activist working for the urban poor since the beginning of their displacement, and Prof Ghanshyam Shah.
Mathur highlighted that the government was biased towards the poor. He said, "Local authorities have distanced themselves from the poor. As a result, despite being the most productive group, this informal sector has lost access to services. The government is supposed to be the custodian of public resources. Unfortunately, in the case of riverfront development, they have started thinking about the poor only after being forced by the courts."
Desai added, "There is lack of administrational and political will to help the displaced with their issues of resettlement." Shabnam Hashmi, member of the assessment and monitoring authority, Planning Commission of India, assured that she would personally take up the issue of the displaced at the centre.
A documentary on conditions of the victims titled 'Caught Between Existence and Denial', produced by Anhad was also screened on Tuesday.
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