‘SAMAVESHI SHEHER- Empowering for Inclusive Cities
Source of funding : MISEREOR
Collaboration : Indo-Global Social Service Society (IGSSS)
Implimenting Agency : Indian Institute of Education & Care (IIEC)
Area of Operation : 5 Slum areas of Cuttack Municipal Corporation
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Tulashipur Matha Sahi, Hatigada, (Ward No- 8)
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Tulsipur Tanla Sahi (Ward No – 8)
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Pilgrim Road (Ward No –38)
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Tulasipur Baurisahi (Ward No –8)
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Malgodown Nua Sahi (Ward No –38)
District - Cuttack
State - Odisha
Status of Project - Ongoing(since 1st April 2015)
Aims and Objectives:
Aim: The urban poor see themselves as residents of their city, are able to lead a life of dignity & find conditions to make this possible
Brief Report on 5 Slum
Tanla Sahi
Tanla Sahi under ward no. 8 with 264 households and a population of 1193 of Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC) is a
displaced slum. The demolition drive by CMC rendered around 264 families homeless in peak winter i.e in the month of
January. These people including men, women, children, aged and disabled have been living in temporary houses made
of polythene exposed to cold, heat wave and rains along Mahanadi Ring Road.
Most of the residents work as daily wagers. Pregnant women, small children and differently abled persons are
suffering the most from the eviction. They said they can’t afford to take house on rent within their little income.
This slum was selected due to its vulnerability and displaced category. According to CMC official, in 2011, the CMC announced to construct pucca houses at Tanla Sahi for 264 families under Integrated Housing and Slum Development programme at an estimated cost of 17 crore. The CMC has roped in Odisha State Police Housing Welfare Corporation (OSPHW) to construct the
houses.
While doing survey our team found out that among 264 families, 30 families have left the place and
residing some where else. Most of them are wage earners and they belong to scheduled caste category.
As they have no formal houses, the children of that Sahi stays back in guarding their houses while their
parents go out for work. As a result the children can’t go to school which is a major concern. A large
chunk of youth group waste their time in engaging themselves either in gambling or resorting to alcohol.
Their hard earned money what they are getting as labourers goes away with these bad habits.
Most of the women are illiterate. As male member of the family is not able to provide food,
clothing and medicine, the women folk resort to different types of work like labourers, domestic help &
sweepers. But during rainy season, their condition worsens to maximum extent due to non availability of
work. The slum dwellers have no basic facilities like drinking water, toilet & garbage clearance. Both the
men & women defecate in the open areas on the embankment of river Mahanadi. There is no waste
collection centre and they throw the garbage to river Mahanadi which pollutes the water and the slum
dwellers use that water for drinking purpose which results in various health ailments.
Now we are very happy that Tanla Sahi residents will get concrete houses finally. There was court cases by the residents and the inability of Odisha Police Housing and Welfare Corporation (OSPHC) to construct houses created many problems for Tanla Sahi. The OSPHC how agreed to execute the work being funded under the Central Govt’s Integrated Housing and Slum development programme. The project envisages a two room flat of 300 square feet for each beneficiary free of cost.
Tulashipur Bauri Sahi
This slum with 160 household & with a population of 662 comes under ward no 8 and
is situated in the south of river Mahanadi. This slum is 100 years old and an authorized
one. The residents are free from the eviction fear with BPL Card.
In this slum the women are more literate than the male member and in the decision
making processes, the female member has a major role. Most of the dwellers are
wage earners and some are masons & colour masons. Some women eke out their
living by plying boat in river Mahanadi. Both male & female are working as daily
wage earners and in addition to this, the women folk work as domestic help. During
the survey, we found out that 60 to 70 % of male population are addicted to liquor,
drugs and gambling which causes unhealthy situation in house. The major chunk
of their earnings is spent over these bad habits. As a result they live in poor condition.
Due to addiction to liquor, a large percentage of the male members suffer from
Tuberculosis (T.B).
In this slum most of the children from 6 to 14 years go to school which is situated
nearby. But from them only 10% of Children pursue higher studies due to poverty.
There is no drainage facility and the stagnant water in the slum is the main cause
of jaundice & other water borne diseases for the slum dwellers. Another major
concern is that due to non availability of drainage facility during rainy season 30-40
families remain in waterlogged area and they face a very unhealthy and unhygienic
atmosphere causing health ailments.
About 30% of the households have no toilet and they use either community toilet
situated 2 kms away or defecate in the open space near the embankment of
Mahanadi. They also face difficulty for drinking water as the piped water supply
is not regular and the tube wells are not working properly. The slum dwellers are
deprived of many govt. schemes and facilities due to the absence of community
structure like CBOs and SHGs. People are not aware of government’s rules and
regulations.
Malgodown Nuasahi
This slum with 157 Household with a population of 935 is situated near the
biggest godown of Cuttack as well as Odisha. This is a very old slum where
people from different categories live unitedly. The most interesting part of this
slum is that 26 transgenders are living in a compact colony as one family and
one group. The people of this slum are mainly migrated from different states
\like West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar and from Ganjam and Gajapati
districts of southern Odisha. The men are mostly trolley pullers and the women
are wage earners. Due to lack of space the slum is congested and the
condition of the people is not healthy. The basic facilities are not adequate.
As compared to the population, drinking water provision is very less. Piped
water supply is not regular. Tube wells are not adequate and the water is
also not in good condition to drink. Due to lack of space, there is neither
individual toilets nor community toilets. They defecate in the open space
adjacent to the malgodown area & the women face severe difficulties in
the evening as antisocials are active at that time. About 50% to 60% boys
and girls leave schools after primary education due to lack of educational
facilities nearby. As a result they resort to trolley pulling and daily wage
work for their livelihood. Most of the male members are addicted to liquor
and drugs and a major chunk of their income is spent on these habits.
The women and girls are working in glass factory. As the density of
population is high, compared to the availability of space, the surrounding
is very unhealthy and stinking which is a major reason for many kinds of
health hazards. There are no electricity connection and as a result after
evening anti social activities are rampant.
Tulasipur Matha Sahi
This slum with 53 households and a population of 360 is situated at the
right side of river Mahanadi. This slum is one of the oldest slum of Cuttack.
Though the people live for many years they are yet to get any govt. facility
and benefits of different schemes and rights. Most of the men folk are
involved in construction work as daily wage labourer & masons and women
are engaged as domestic help. During election time, the political people
come and promise to provide basic facilities to them. But after the election
they vanish from the area.
There is no anganwadi facility nearby. So most of the parents are not able
to send their children to anganwadi as they have no time. Both men and
women of the family work to feed the family. So a little percentage of
children go to school and very less boys and girls pursue higher studies.
As they have no education or less education, good jobs are remote
possibility for them. So they are bound to work as labourers, masons,
sweepers which are undignified jobs.
People spend a major portion of their income in gambling and alcohol
thus making the family to starve. In decision making process the male
dominance prevails and the women suffers a lot due to the dominant
attitude of the male members .
This slum is deprived of basic facilities like, drinking water, toilet,
anganwadi centres and other educational institution. Due to illiteracy they
are not aware of govt. schemes and benefits.
Piligrim Road
This slum with 351 households with a population of 1857 comes under ward
no 38 of CMC. This slum is very old and situated in the middle of the city.
Most slum dwellers come from different districts of the state and some are
from neighbouring states some sixty years back. This is an unauthorized
slum and though this is very old, still the threat of eviction is always in the
minds of the community. Most of the people are BPL Card holders. 80%
of the population (men and women) eke out their living as daily wage
earners. This slum is well known for its negetivity. The menfolk spend
almost all their income in consuming liquor. The female members face
many problems to feed their children and to raise the family. So the girls
of the family are bound to work as domestic help inorder to help her mother
after giving up their studies. In this slum 20% of women also resort to bad
habits. Thus there is no family life, and lack of parental love and affection
results in decline of family values and customs. As the male members resort
to heavy drinking alcohol, the health deteriorate and major chunk are affected
by TB. Here the boys and girls marry at a very young age and the boys also
die at a very tender age due to TB. So the percentage of widows with children
is high in this slum. In order to raise her children the young widowed mother
sometimes resort to prostitution against her will.
The provision of basic facilities are either lacking or very poor. The slum dwellers
face problems in drinking water, sanitation, garbage clearance etc. People are
not well aware of different schemes due to their illiteracy and inspite of their
eligibility they are unable to get the benefits of different social security schemes.
Baseline Survey
5 slums of Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC) of cuttack city were selected and surveyed systematically. The survey was done in a special format shared by IGSSS. The survey covered basic family data, socio economic status of households, status of access to various social security schemes, relationship with various stakeholders, access to basic facilities at home and work place, different rights and entitlements and access to credits.
Before the survey work, one day orientation was given to the surveyors who are from the slum community.
Focus Group Discussion
Two nos. of focus group discussion at Tanlasahi & Malgodown Nuasahi was
carried out with active participation of the community. Participants in FDG
represented various sections like men, women, youngsters, aged and transgender.
They got involved in current issues affecting locality, real-life problems, possible
solutions and their aspirations. They were enthusiastically involved in PRA
exercises reflecting their life and livelihood.
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PRA Exercises
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Community Mapping:
In this activity, the slum dwellers drew a map of the community in which they
lived. They also identified the degree and kind of vulnerability they are living with.
All the vulnerable components were marked with Red colour. Elements like kuccha
houses, low land, river embankments, etc. were marked with red as severe
vulnerability components.
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Daily Activity Schedule:
This activity aimed to record the tit-bits of the daily routine of the slum dwellers
in a chronological order in a clock-format. As Samaveshi Seher aims towards
interventions alleviating urban poverty, this activity recorded the daily routine
of informal workers in the slum like masons, domestic helpers (maid servants),
etc. Round the clock all details of their activities were recorded.
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Accessibility Mapping:
This map recorded which basic institutions are accessed by the slum dwellers
and how much accessible they are, by noting their distance in kilometres from
the slum. Basic institutions like Anganwadi, schools, police station, hospitals,
railway station, bus-stand, market, etc. were mentioned in this map.
Report on Sensitization Programme
Date : 05.08.2015
Participants : 50 nos. (Members from slum networks, community organizers from Cuttack Municipal
Corporation (CMC))
Objective of the Programme: To sensitize the different stakeholders, both state and nonstate actors on
the project “Samaveshi Sheher : Empowering Inclusive Cities”.
Capacity Building Training for Larger Urban Network on Governance & Labour Laws
Date : 3rd & 4th Sep 2015
Participants : 40 nos. (Members from slum networks, community organizers from Cuttack Municipal
Corporation (CMC))
Objective of the programme :
To capacitate and enhanced the knowledge of the leaders from different slum networks on good
governance & different aspects of labour laws so that they will make themselves able to get different
benefits and schemes meant for labourers.
Workshop on Labour Protection
Date : 23.09.2015
Participants : 38 nos. (Members from slum networks, community organizers from Cuttack
Municipal Corporation (CMC))
Objective of the Programme:
To emphasize on participatory approach with focus on labour protection and minimum wages
with the involvement of all the stakeholders from bottom to top and create conducive atmosphere to
make the city inclusive.
Urban NGO Forum
Date : 12th Nov 2015
Participants : 25 nos. (Representatives of NGOs)
Objective of the programme :
To create a common platform and a conducive atmosphere for the urban NGOs working in
Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC) jurisdiction to utilize their concerted efforts and potential
for the greater interest of the urban poor.
Media Workshop
Date: 18.12.2015
Target Participants :
Senior representatives from various print and electronic media.
Guests of the Programme :
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Sri Subash Singh, Chairperson, Labour Welfare Board, Odisha
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Dr. Satya Ray, Senior Journalist
Objectives of the Workshop
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To sensitize esteemed media on ‘SAMAVESHI SHEHER- Empowering for
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inclusive cities’ particularly in Urban Poverty context
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To motivate and sensitize Media on the significant dimensions of development
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dynamics and the role of civil society in general
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To encourage media to involve more and more urban poor/slum dwellers to
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come forward with their genuine problems and suggested solutions by reserving
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a space/slot for them and by model case studies.
1.1.1Conducting awareness camp on Identity card, labour card, RTI, public petitions issues
Venue – Cuttack
Date – 24th , 25th & 28th May 2016
Participants – 120 participants (Community leaders from the project area)
Objective of the programme: The objective of the programme is to sensitized the community on RTI, public petition, identity card, labour card issues.