It was like an earthquake measuring over 8 on Richter scale for them. Thousands lost their shelters, adults lost their means of livelihood and children left their schools mid-way... These were the aftermath of demolition of colony number 5.”
For the past two weeks, Sushma, could not return to her housekeeping job. A mother of three including two teenage girls and a boy, Sushma is staying at home now, as she has to look after her children in the new locality in which they have recently shifted. Besides, she has been going out and pounding the pavements, in a hope to get some work.
After the demolition of Colony No. 5, she lost her job and sees it as a big loss to the family since her earnings was supplementing in family’s meager income totaling Rs6,000.
“I used to earn Rs2,000 and spend it on my children’s needs. Nowadays, I have no work and we have to pay Rs1,000 for our new rented accommodation. We have to put up with a lot of inconvenience,” she added as her husband walked into the conversation. “We lost our home, my wife lost her job but somehow, we are managing to send our kids to school. Our children study in a Government school in Sector 46, so we shifted in Burail as it is nearer to my kids’ school,” says he, while articulating his concerns on how long will he be able to send his kids to school.
Sadly, all kids of demolished slum colony were not lucky enough to continue their education. Also, women are worst hit by the narrowing of work opportunities after demolition of their shack. Women in the colony used to work as maids, labourers on construction sites, selling commodities among others across the city.
After relocating to the new vicinity, the presence of young children at home is imposing constraints on women to move out for work. While most of the mothers have transferred their onus to supervise at home and not working anymore, some have no option but to keep going.
“From 8 am to 5 pm, I used to perform household chores in Sector 20 houses and earn Rs2,800. After coming back from school, my two daughters were looked after by my neighbours in the recently demolished colony. Now, I have the responsibility to look after my young children and I can’t return to my work as the previous workplace is too far from my new home,” says Rama, as her face stretched into deep lines of grief.
Rama was an inhabitant of demolished Colony No. 5 and now, lives in Dadumajra. She lives with her family of four, two daughters and husband. After shifting to a new locality, Rama lives in constant fear of her daughters’ security
and excessive domestic
responsibilities.
Same goes for her husband who is a rickshaw puller. He used to go along with his wife in Sector 20 and earned around Rs80-Rs150 everyday due to clients network he had made there.
Recalling the day when she along with her family was left on streets homeless during the shivering night of ongoing winter, Rama shares that her neighbour in the demolished colony chose to return to their native village in Uttar Pradesh as they could not afford to pay additional cost for living in a rented house.
The worsening state of life seems beyond redemption for others too.
Anita, working as a maid in Sector 33, has a different story to tell. Shifted to Hallomajra after her shelter was razed to the ground last month, she has been traveling by bus everyday to continue her work.
Sharing her woes, the sole breadwinner of the family says, “My husband is a drunkard and does not work at all. I was earning Rs4,000 a month performing household chores from 7.30 am to 4 pm in Sector 18.” She was excited to send her children (3 years old girl, 5 years old boy) to school next year but her plans are unlikely to run like clockwork.
Her disappointment was thinly veiled when she shares her story. “We have lost out home and it has become difficult to survive. I will send my kids back to my native village now and my mother will take care of them, she says. At this point, life seems to be going downhill for this mother, whose dream to provide a quality education to her children in this urban city may not turn reality in the near future.
There must be many such women and children whose life took a turn for the worse after the demolition. Apparently, life was a struggle for them in the slums and is not better today…
(This is the second part of a series on the human tragedy in the wake of the demolition of the biggest slum cluster of Chandigarh and the tragedy awaiting other slums of
the city)