Eviction drive clears road for Bypass expansion, work picks up speed

[Trees have been felled, people have been evicted but TT and its loyal readership doesn't care: as long as we have more cars which can ply unfettered through filled in wetlands with passengers looking at beautified green zones, all is well with the world]

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1120423/jsp/calcutta/story_15349523.jsp#.T5TZiPvhVzQ

SUBHAJOY ROY

It takes Priyanshi Durbha almost 40 minutes to reach the Ruby rotary from Udita Housing Complex in Ajaynagar, where she stays, during the morning rush hour. But there is relief in sight for the Presidency University student with the stretch between Ajaynagar and Patuli cleared of encroachments and the EM Bypass widening project getting a boost. “If this project actually succeeds in decongesting the Bypass, it will be of great help to commuters,” Durbha said. “It takes me almost 40 minutes to reach Ruby on way to the university. I hope that vehicles move faster once the project is complete.” The plan is to build dedicated lanes for buses and other vehicles on the Bypass. The Bus Rapid Transport System (BRTS) is already operational in cities such as Ahmedabad, Mumbai and Jaipur. “The idea is to decongest the entire 15.5km Bypass. Private vehicles will no longer need to wait as a bus picks up passengers. Buses too will be able to ply faster as they will have dedicated lanes,” said Vivek Bharadwaj, the chief executive officer of the Calcutta Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA). Besides pavements for pedestrians, a green zone and a cycle track are also on the anvil. Bharadwaj admitted that last month’s eviction drive between Ajaynagar and Patuli had helped step up work. “It’s a step ahead for us. We will finish the landfilling for building the new roads before monsoon. That will allow the earth to settle during the rains,” he said. A team of CMDA officials and police bulldozed about 1,500 shops and stalls along the Bypass near Patuli on March 23, thus clearing the way for landfilling. Landfilling started from the Metropolitan area last year but progress had been slow. “There are several stretches between Metropolitan and Dhalai bridge where we could not work because of encroachments,” a CMDA official said. Shops lining both flanks of the road between Ajaynagar and Patuli stalled work and the landfilling could not proceed further south. Work has resume after the recent eviction. “It will need another 18 months for the BRTS to get running. After landfilling, several layers will be added before the bituminous covering is done,” said a senior CMDA official. The BRTS was supposed to be functional from December 2011 but work was delayed because of several hurdles. The first speedbreaker came in the form of a disagreement between agencies regarding the location of the bus track. “It had been planned that the bus lanes would be on the two sides but the proposal was scrapped later. The bus lanes will now be built next to the median,” Bharadwaj said. A corridor will be built from the bus stops to the traffic light. Passengers getting off a bus will walk through the corridor to reach the signal. “Passengers will get off the bus and cross the road at the zebra crossing. Those trying to board a bus will reach the bus lane through the zebra crossing and then walk through the corridor to the bus stop,” Bharadwaj said. Despite work picking up pace, there are apprehensions that the 18-month deadline will be missed. “Very little work has been completed between Metropolitan and the entry to Salt Lake. There are some encroachments on this stretch too,” said the official. Bharadwaj admitted that there has been little progress on the northern end of Bypass but assured things would start moving soon. “We will remove the encroachments and work will continue at a steady pace. Widening the EM Bypass is a necessity to maintain a smooth flow of vehicles,” he said. Residents, though happy about the widening of the Bypass, point out the project has its flipside too. “Many large trees have already been felled and I fear many more will be cut. The Bypass is no more the green stretch it used to be. It has become barren. I want the authorities to plant enough trees so that Bypass regains its greenery,” Durbha said.

Eviction of Slum Dwellers and Repression of Anti-Eviction Demonstrators in West Bengal

Selections of the original are published here. For the youtube link and rest of the report go here: http://kafila.org/2012/04/13/eviction-of-slum-dwellers-and-repression-of-anti-eviction-demonstrators-in-west-bengal/

Aditya Nigam

It is the same story once again. Cleaning up and beautification of cities in the clamour for urban space for consumption and the luxury of the rich. And as we have seen, it makes little difference whether the government/s are Leftist or Rightist, whether they claim to represent the oppressed poor or not. Thus, on 30th March, 2012 the TMC government forcefully evicted around 300 poor families from the Nonadanga slum area in South 24-Parganas, in the name of ‘development’ and ‘beautification’ of Kolkata. Their shanties were razed to ground by the Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority. The homeless slum-dwellers have been staying in an open field and are facing constant police harassment. Despite these harsh conditions, they have refused to depart and are presently on hunger strike. Their demand has to date failed to draw any favourable attention from the government. This neglect comes on the heels of the Planning Commission agreeing to annual Bengal plan around 16 per cent more than last year’s.

But the neglect is not only economic : the state government has intensified its repressive tactics. On 4th April, 2012, the Kolkata police and a gang of ruffians who viciously lathi-charged the dispossessed as they organized a protest march to draw attention to their wretched condition. A large police force attacked the protesters including women and infants; there was not a single female constable in the posse. Rita Patra, a pregnant woman, was seriously injured in the lathi-charge. Ten persons, including a baby boy and two girls in their early twenties, were severely injured. To protest this police brutality, slum demolition and forcible eviction, a day long sit-in demonstration was scheduled at Ruby Crossing, E M Bypass of Kolkata, on 8th April, 2012.

But this peaceful demonstration was broken by the Kolkata police, who alleged the assembly as ‘illegal’ despite having granted prior permission for the same. 69 protesters of ‘Uchchhed Pratirodh Committee’ (Anti-eviction Committee of Nonadanga) were arrested and transported to Lalbazar police station. A nine-year-old girl child, Manika Kumari, daughter of Dilip Shaw, was in the lock-up for nine hours; Manika Kumari’s detention violated the Juvenile Justice (Care & Protection of Children) Act, which starkly reminds us of Payel Bagh’s case during the Singur unrest. The police deliberately did not, moreover, issue any Memos of Arrest—another violation of legal procedures.

Continuing with the high-handedness, cases under section 151 of the IPC were slapped on the detainees. During the evening of April 8, all the arrested persons were released on PR bond in the presence of members of the Association for the Protection of Democratic Rights (APDR) and other activists through the rear gate of Lalbazar police station. However, seven democratic rights activists were not released and remained in confinement, i.e., Debolina Chakraborty, Shamik Chakraborty, Manas Chatterjee , Debjani Ghosh, Siddhartha Gupta, Partho Sarathi Ray and Abhijnan Sarkar. They have been falsely charged with a number of non-bailable criminal cases. When the released activists and others assembled at Lalbazar became agitated at this unexpected development, all were forced to flee by a huge contingent of aggressive police. APDR members proceeded to the central gate of Lalbazar to speak to the officer in charge and lodged a protest. According to the officers on duty, the seven activists had been charged under various sections including 353, 332, 141, 143, 148 and 149 of the IPC and were to be produced at the Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (ACJM) court, Alipore, on 9 April, 2012.

The seven activists were remanded to police custody till April 12 by the ACJM court in Alipore Court after the state counsel raised the bogey of Maoist links and alleged that the activists were involved in ‘stockpiling of arms, ammunition and explosives at Nonadanga’. On the same day, a protest rally under the banner of ‘Uchchhed Pratirodh Committee’ (Anti-eviction Committee, a common platform of the evictees of Nonadanga and various mass organizations), demanding rehabilitation for dispossessed people in Nonadanga and release of the arrested protesters was to be held at 1 pm from College Square to Writers’ Building. But police prevented the rally from starting and arrested 50 men, 36 women and 4 children accompanying their mothers. They were taken away by 5 prison vans. The rest of the protesters started sit-in there in College Square, in front of the Vidyasagar statue and a gathering began. Engaging in activities like sloganeering, addressing the local people, etc., the College Street protest continued till 8:30pm, until those 86 arrested men and women were released on bail. The saga of state repression continued on April 10 with APDR activists reporting that the police did not allow family members to meet the seven detained activists. While repression continues in full force, the slum area is also being prepared for the real estate sharks waiting for the people to be “cleared off”. It has been reported that the police undertook a “land survey” on April 10 and declared that they would start fencing off the area from the next day. The evicted slum dwellers, who have living in the nearby fields for the past week, have decided to sit on a hunger strike to protest this move by the authorities.

Meanwhile, friends and supporters of Dr Partho Sarathi Ray have launched a campaign for his release. The following statement gives the details:

Dear Friends,

We are writing to bring to your attention the illegal detention of our colleague, Dr. Partho Sarothi Ray by the Kolkata Police. While participating in a peaceful protest against the eviction of slum dwellers of the Nonadanga area of East Kolkata, Partho along with 68 others including several women and one 9 year old girl was picked up by the Kolkata police near Ruby hospital crossing on Sunday, April 8, 2012. This happened despite the fact that prior permission for carrying out the peaceful protest was granted by the Kolkata police. That same evening, the police released 62 of the 69 people arrested but detained 7 including Partho. Various charges were laid against Partho (and the remaining 6 people detained) for activities allegedly undertaken on April 4 (Wednesday) during which the police resorted to lathi charge on women and children and other brutal tactics to break up a similar protest. Partho was not even present at the site of the protest on April 4 and there is documentary evidence of his presence in IISER, Kolkata (Mohanpur Campus, Nadia, West Bengal) on that day where he participated in a faculty meeting of the Dept. of Biological Sciences, interacted with colleagues and students and stayed overnight at the institute guest house.

Subsequently, during a farcical police court hearing on April 9 held at Alipore court, Kolkata, Partho along with others was remanded to police custody till April 12, 2012. A sessions court on April 12, 2012 remanded the seven detained activists to jail custody until April 26th. Some of the charges laid against Partho and 6 others detained are serious falling under sections 353 (assault on public servant), 332 (voluntarily causing hurt to public servant), 141 (unlawful assembly), 143 (punishment), 149 (common objective of disruption). There is some confusion regarding the number and nature of charges laid since the lists obtained from different sources do not match. In asking for the continued detention of these 7 individuals, the government lawyers made the absurd argument that these people, involved in a peaceful protest for which prior permission was given by the police, had potential Maoist links and it is therefore necessary to keep them in police custody to get “information” about “possible stockpiling of arms and explosives” in Nonadanga. This chilling message reveals the sinister design of the police and the West Bengal government and raises serious concerns for the safety and well-being of Partho and others currently in police
custody. It is therefore essential that we, members of the Indian academic community vociferously condemn the illegal detention of our colleague, a reputed scientist, under false charges and raise awareness so that pressure may be brought on the government to quickly release Partho and remove all the fabricated charges laid against him by the police. Friends in the media can help publicize the issue.

You can also help by signing online petitions here:
Release activists arrested for protesting Nonadanga
www.change.org

Aruna Roy and the MKSS have also sent the following statement in solidarity with Partho Ray and others arrested by the Westy Bengal government:

Dear friends,

An eminent scientist Partha Roy, faculty at IISER Kolkata, an alumnus of IISc and a member of Sanhati, a web paper which reports on democratic and human rights issues, was reporting on a protest against slum clearance in Kolkatta on the 8th of April. He and six others have been booked under sections 143, 149, 332, 341, 342, 353 of the IPC and have been detained unfairly for alleged participation in a protest which took place on the 4th( details in the petition). As it so happened Partha Roy was not there that day, but in the Institute and there is documentary evidence and testimony to prove this.

Despite all this being presented at court he was refused bail by a Kolkata court on the 9th. Intimidation, illegalities and abuse of
power must be questioned and stopped .

In solidarity.
Aruna
Aruna Roy , Nikhil Dey, Shankar Singh and the MKSS

Urban beautification: 5000 Dalits to be evicted from century-old community in Belgachhia, Howrah

http://sanhati.com/news/1222/

MASUM report: letter to the Supreme Court

At about 3.00 p.m., January 13, we got the news that more than 5000 people were going to be evicted near Belgachia Bhagar (Howrah Municipal Dumping Ground) under police station Liluah, District-Howrah, West Bengal.

This eviction drive was going to take place by an order passed by the Hon’ble Court. We immediately proceeded to the place and found that people residing there were aggrieved by the decision.

They informed us that their predecessors had been staying in that area for more than 100 years.

They also claimed to possess valid and legal documents of proof of their Indian citizenship as well as residence.

Thousands of the people who were going to be evicted had not been served any prior notice of eviction except one announcement that was made two days earlier by microphone.

The civil administration is tight-lipped over the forthcoming eviction drive. We have tried to contact the Office of District Magistrate, Howrah, Superintendent of Police, Howrah and the Officer-in-Charge of Liluah Police Station but nobody is willing to impart further information or the proposed time of eviction.

We have come to know from a reliable source that the Writ petition was filed by one Mr. Subhas Dutta, and in connection with W.P. No. 15206 (W) of 2002 case, the court passed that impugned order after hearing the matter for last 6 years.

According to our fact-finding report, at least 5 Hindu temples, and 3 government aided non-formal education centers for poor and under privileged children, out of which one NCLP (National Child Labour Project) school where the District Magistrate happens to be the Chairman of the said Project are going to be demolished. At least 6 sources of potable water, provided by the Howrah Municipal Corporation, stand to be destroyed.

Needless to say, no one can be evicted from his possession without due process of law and the person to be evicted must be given a reasonable opportunity of fair hearing in the proceeding (ad-alterem pertem). But in this case where the question of rights to livelihood and residence are involved, these 5000 people were not even made a party in the said litigation. Neither the government nor the court felt it necessary.

Families with children who are going to be evicted with the sanction of the law this winter season are thus left to their fate. Perhaps only because they are all Dalit people, manual scavengers and poor.

Previous experience

A previous eviction drive was carried out on 2.2.2003 at Belilious Park, Howrah where around 7,000 people were evicted who were also Dalits, manual scavengers and poor. The said eviction was also done under the sanction of law through an order passed by the Calcutta High Court, presided by the then Chief Justice. And now we see that one multi storied building was erected there facilitating multinational companies to earn profit.

Neither the court concerned nor the government and municipal administration arranged for rehabilitation. It is our hard earned experience as an organisation that certain profit-earning sections are hell-bent on grabbing land in several parts of Howrah/West Bengal under guises of beautification, pollution free area, development, etc. and to make these lands into profit earning machine.

We strongly oppose this type of justice delivery system which violates basic principles of natural justice, which violates Article 21 of our Constitution, which allows real estate businessmen, the land mafia, sections of politicians and some corrupt government employees to make their fortune over dead bodies.

We still convey our faith in our Constitution, judicial system, United Nations’ Conventions and declarations and for those reasons we appeal to your conscience to postpone the process of eviction for few days and in between that time we cordially pray before you to have a fair hearing making a party of those 5000 people or their representatives and us to save the judiciary from a great wrong doing.

*********************

Report from AsiaNews

http://new.asianews.it/index.php?l=en&art=14215

More than 5,000 Dalits and poor people forced from Howrah’s slums

by Nirmala Carvalho

Residents lived in the shanty town for five generations, surviving by scavenging recyclable materials from a local dump and taking odd jobs. Now a court has decided to clear the area without giving them a hearing. A human rights group slams the decision.

More than 5,000 people, mostly Dalits, were forced from their shacks in Belgachia Bhagar, an area in the city of Howrah, West Bengal, where they have lived for nearly a century. In fact entire families inhabited the area for five generations.

Most residents have odd jobs; about 80 per cent scavenge in the nearby municipal dump salvaging recyclable materials (pictured); others are rickshaw drivers; some are daily labourers. But since 2002 a court order to evacuate the area has been hanging over their heads, until yesterday that is, when they were told that they had to move today.

Kirity Roy, secretary of the human rights group Banglar Manabadhikar Suraksha Mancha (MASUM), appeared before the High Court today along with a number of forcibly removed women in order to get an injunction to suspend the evacuation order. “But the hearing was set for this Friday, when the whole settlement will have been raised to the ground,” he said.

The settlement is “illegal” according to Khalil Ahmed, a Howrah magistrate. “We asked the squatters to vacate the area. If they do not do it, we shall have to use force. The district administration will film tomorrow’s operations to see who tries to obstruct the action.”

“This way more than 5,000 people will be made homeless; the bulldozers will demolish their homes,” Kirity Roy told AsiaNews. “It’s a gross violation of the fundamental rights of the most neglected among our citizens.”

“These people have been here for a century,” he explained. “They are Indian citizens with regular papers; some 650 families in all, but the all got the eviction notice just two days ago through a loud speaker. No one informed them beforehand” of the court decision. and this despite the fact that “the case has been pending for six years, since 2002.”

For the human rights activist “no one can be forced out of the house he owns without a hearing, but these 5,000 people were not even considered a party to the court case. They are Dalits and poor and are forced out in wintertime to an uncertain future . . . . No one is saying where they can go.”

The authorities have said that public facilities will be built on the vacated land, but Kirity is bitter.

“On 3 February 2003, 7,000 people were forced from Belilious Park, also in Howrah, all of them Dalits and poor, by order of the Kolkata High Court. Now there is a building where the shanty town used to be, with many stores. A multinational corporation made a buddle from the deal.”