MATTANCHERRY: As the city embarks on a development spree, the inhabitants of Mahajanwadi Colony at Mattanchery feels left out. The century-old space what they call ‘home’ hardly has the space for one to move around. But, they cook, eat and sleep inside this congested area below a ceiling that could crash on them any moment. When it rains, their homes flood.
The Mahajanawadi Colony is under the administration of Waqf Board.
“People come, inquire and forget. The cycle repeats every year. At the end of the day, we suffer here with no one to listen to our cries,” said 42-year old Afsa. Afsa earns a living collecting garbage. The children in the colony go to school and this is their only ray of hope. But, with the meager amount they earn, their future only gets darker. About 30 houses in the colony share a toilet where there is no running water. The residents must draw water from the well and carry it to the toilets.
“Nearly 500 of us live together in the colony here. We are happy with our lives otherwise. We earn from fishing and doing small jobs that pay us daily wages. All that we wish for is some space, enough for us to walk inside our house and hold out heads straight,” said Ali, a fisherman and an inhabitant of the colony.
There is a small temple and a huge tree inside the compound that is well-maintained by those living here. Election campaign posters with smiling faces of candidates promising help adorn the walls. But, so far nothing has realised.
Despite several media reports and proposals by authorities, nothing has done for the people of this slum .
“It is not that we love this place. We have no choice. We do not have money to move out.” said Hussain, a resident of the colony.
Amendment of Act
Meanwhile, the amendment of the Waqf Act by the Supreme Court was a big blow to the Mahajanawadi slum dwellers. “The Act now implies that the land or the property should not be sold or given as free to anyone. Moreover, we have no funds to rehabilitate them to other places since most of the dwellers do not pay any rents to the board,” said M V Shaheer, Waqf Board staff.
Admitting that many houses are facing a threat of collapse, he said a a request has been sent to the State Government for changing the amendment.
“It is still pending approval from the centre. However, we have intimated the state government seeking immediate intervention,” he added.
The Act also prohibits the relocation of the slum dwellers to Ashraj Building. “Since the colony is administered by Waqf Board, they are prohibited from relocating to the new facility at Ashraj as per the government schemes. As of now, there are no proposals either to rehabilitate or relocate them “, said a social worker.