As India celebrates its 68th Republic Day on January 26 guaranteeing every citizen a right to live with dignity, right to get educated, right to follow any religion or right to speak freely, the most underprivileged people of Delhi living in Kirari, in North-West Delhi, held a massive demonstration, reminding the Government that even people living in urbanised slums of this country have the same rights as the privileged few.
local Purvanchali and Congress leader Pratyush Kanth led a demonstration in Kirari demanding hospitals, sewage system, decent roads, Government schools, community center, police station, street lights, public toilets, CCTV cameras and clean drinking water in the area.
“The condition in which we live today would have tremendously pained the architects of our Constitution. It seems people living in Kirari do not exist for the Government. We have celebrated Republic Day in every corner of Kirari and now we are carrying out a demonstration to remind the Government of the duties and our rights given to us by the Constitution,” said Kanth.
“Hundreds of women in Kirari still do not have access to toilets. Diseases related to unsafe water, poor sanitation and lack of hygiene are some of the most common causes of illness and death. The Aman Vihar police station is several kilometers away from Kirari, we just have a police Chowki for 8 lakh people. When you walk on Kirari roads you get a feeling you are in a war zone. It looks like for the Delhi Government Kirari is not a part of Delhi. We also have a right to live with dignity,” asserted Kanth.
More than 95 per cent people living here are migrants and most of them are employed as daily wagers.
“The crumbling public health system in Outer Delhi has been notoriously weak for a long time now. There is total lack of facilities, equipments and medical staff in the nearby hospitals making the situation worse for the people of Kirari,” said Kanth.