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‘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

  • Tulashipur Matha Sahi, Hatigada, (Ward No- 8)

  •  Tulsipur Tanla Sahi (Ward No – 8)

  •  Pilgrim Road (Ward No –38)   

  •  Tulasipur Baurisahi (Ward No –8)

  •  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.

  • PRA Exercises

 

  • 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.

 

  • 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.

  • 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 :

  • Sri Subash Singh, Chairperson, Labour Welfare Board, Odisha

  • Dr. Satya Ray, Senior Journalist

 

Objectives of the Workshop

  • To sensitize esteemed media on ‘SAMAVESHI SHEHER- Empowering for

  • inclusive cities’  particularly in Urban Poverty context

  • To motivate and sensitize Media on the significant dimensions of development

  • dynamics and the role of civil society in general

  • To encourage media to involve more and more urban poor/slum dwellers to

  • come forward with their genuine problems and suggested solutions by reserving

  • 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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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