Home’ usually refers to a comfortable haven offering refuge from the hardships of life. Not for Suinu Sawansi though, who spend his nights in a concrete drain measuring four feet in height and three feet in width.
Constructed by Road Construction Department six months ago for the sake of a cleaner city, the still dry drain in Nayatoli under Ward 29 now houses four individuals in its 20 feet long section, surrounded by houses rising at least to two to three
The 50-year old Suinu, who earns his daily bread as rickshaw puller, shares the space with Rupa Devi (40), a labourer. Earlier, Suinu’s cycle rickshaw, parked near a meat shop merely 200 meters away from his current address, served as his bed after a day’s hard work, whereas Rupa used to sleep in the eatery she worked in before.
living in a covered drain is more preferable than spending nights exposed to the elements beneath open skies. As Suinu mentioned, “Nali acha bana hai. Isme abhi paani nahi aaya tha to rehne lage. Baarish aaya to dikkat hogi. (The concrete drain has been constructed well. We started living in it as there was no (drain) water in it. But there will be problems if it starts to rain.)”
Suinu and Rupa came to know each other when they opted to live in the drain. The inside of the drainpipe now sports a tattered mattress where the couple sleeps, with an adjacent shabby kitchen, complete with a wood-fired makeshift stove fashioned out of bricks and meagre utensils.
Suinu recounted coming to Ranchi 35 years ago from Parasi village in Tamar Block in search of work. Rupa herself came to the city 30 years ago with her mother for the same reason. Despite spending all this time here, neither of the two have any identifying documentation to their names.
“We waited in long lines for the whole day in the nearby temple where they were making Aadhaar cards, and even went to an agent recently, but never received our Aadhaar cards. The reasons were told to us either. We live hand to mouth; it is not possible for us to give up a day’s earning of Rs 50 for standing in a line,” Suinu said.
With no voter’s card or ration card either, Suinu and Rupa neither exist for the government nor will it be easy for them to apply for the ambitious Pradhan Mantri Aawas Yojana (PMAY), which requires either at least one document establishing the applicant’s identity and nationality.
More so, they have not heard of the project anyhow, unaware of the newspapers advertisements promoting the urban housing project and or that their local ward councillor can be contacted to avail the benefits of the project. “I am not aware of any such project,” uttered Rupa when asked if she knows of a nationwide initiative which promises houses to the homeless.
“We have received numerous applications for PMAY till the closing date of March 31. I am still unaware of any case of people living is drain; it is not a common practice in Ranchi either,” stated Mayor Asha lakra.