Pavement dwellers
Encyclopedia
Pavement dwellers refers to Mumbai
dwellings built on the footpaths/pavements of city streets, which use the walls or fences which separate building compounds from the pavement and street outside. Materials include cloth, corrugated iron, cardboard, wood, plastic, and sometimes also bricks or cement.
According to Sheela Patel
of SPARC
, pavement dwellers are primarily first generation migrants who moved to Mumbai sometimes 30 to 50 years ago, and who have lived on the pavement of public roadways ever since. They are completely invisible as far as local, state, and national policies are concerned.
SPARC conducted a study in 1985 about the pavement dwellers called "We the Invisible
" based on a census of about 6,000 households. It showed approximately half of the pavement dwellers to be from the poorest districts in the state of Maharashtra
, with the other half came from the poorest parts of wider India
. Many came as victims of drought
, famine
, earthquakes or religious persecution
or riots. Others came as a result of a complete breakdown in their livelihoods where they had been living. Pavement dwellers migrate to Mumbai hoping to capitalize on the wealth and job opportunities that the city offers. They are typically forward-thinking, seeking to build lives in the city that give the next generation better opportunities than would have been possible in the village.
granted the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai
authority to demolish household structures on the sidewalks of Mumbai. With the aid of SPARC, the rights of Mumbai's pavement dwellers were recognised and coexistence was successfully negotiated.
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
dwellings built on the footpaths/pavements of city streets, which use the walls or fences which separate building compounds from the pavement and street outside. Materials include cloth, corrugated iron, cardboard, wood, plastic, and sometimes also bricks or cement.
According to Sheela Patel
Sheela Patel
Sheela Patel is the founding director of the Society for the Promotion of Area Resource Centers , which she organised in Mumbai in 1984 as an advocacy group for the pavement dwellers of Mumbai. SPARC continues to this day to play a major role in the politics of slum development in India and...
of SPARC
Society for the Promotion of Area Resource Centers
-Introduction:The Society for the Promotion of Area Resource Centers is one of the largest Indian NGOs working on housing and infrastructure issues for the urban poor...
, pavement dwellers are primarily first generation migrants who moved to Mumbai sometimes 30 to 50 years ago, and who have lived on the pavement of public roadways ever since. They are completely invisible as far as local, state, and national policies are concerned.
SPARC conducted a study in 1985 about the pavement dwellers called "We the Invisible
We the Invisible
We the Invisible was a report based on a 1985 census of about 6000 households, funded and carried out by the Society for the Promotion of Area Resource Centers, to ascertain the scale and nature of Mumbai's pavement dwellers...
" based on a census of about 6,000 households. It showed approximately half of the pavement dwellers to be from the poorest districts in the state of Maharashtra
Maharashtra
Maharashtra is a state located in India. It is the second most populous after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India...
, with the other half came from the poorest parts of wider India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. Many came as victims of drought
Drought
A drought is an extended period of months or years when a region notes a deficiency in its water supply. Generally, this occurs when a region receives consistently below average precipitation. It can have a substantial impact on the ecosystem and agriculture of the affected region...
, famine
Famine
A famine is a widespread scarcity of food, caused by several factors including crop failure, overpopulation, or government policies. This phenomenon is usually accompanied or followed by regional malnutrition, starvation, epidemic, and increased mortality. Every continent in the world has...
, earthquakes or religious persecution
Religious persecution
Religious persecution is the systematic mistreatment of an individual or group of individuals as a response to their religious beliefs or affiliations or lack thereof....
or riots. Others came as a result of a complete breakdown in their livelihoods where they had been living. Pavement dwellers migrate to Mumbai hoping to capitalize on the wealth and job opportunities that the city offers. They are typically forward-thinking, seeking to build lives in the city that give the next generation better opportunities than would have been possible in the village.
1985 eviction crisis
In 1985, the Supreme Court of IndiaSupreme Court of India
The Supreme Court of India is the highest judicial forum and final court of appeal as established by Part V, Chapter IV of the Constitution of India...
granted the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai
Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai
The Brihanmumbai Mahanagar Palika is the civic body that governs the city of Mumbai and is India's richest municipal organisation. Its annual budget is even more than that of some of the small states of India. It is also known as Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai or the Brihanmumbai...
authority to demolish household structures on the sidewalks of Mumbai. With the aid of SPARC, the rights of Mumbai's pavement dwellers were recognised and coexistence was successfully negotiated.