MUMBAI: When Prime Minister Manmohan Singh inaugurates a housing project for beedi workers in Solapur on July 2, it will be more than a dream come true for the nearly 10,000 women.

According to three-time CPI (M) MLA from Solapur city (north), Narsayya Adam, who has been one of the key people behind this project, ``every woman who gets a house will walk into it free of any debt." Popularly known as Adam Master, he was inspired to work for housing for the beedi workers by his mother.

``My mother, a beedi worker too, suffered from tuberculosis and she always maintained that workers needed better and cleaner housing," he recalls. Right from the time he was elected MLA in 1978, he has worked for projects to improve the conditions of the 65,000 beedi workers in Solapur.

The project, hailed as the largest one in Asia for women below the poverty line, has been financed by the State and Central governments as well as the beedi workers who have contributed Rs. 20,000 each.

The Centre and the State governments have contributed Rs. 25.50 crore.

The homes have been constructed by a private construction company and organised in 25 clusters.

The women also took part in designing the homes and made some changes.

Sole breadwinners

At present beedi workers live in tiny shanties on rent in slums in Solapur. There are about 16 major beedi units in Solapur and the women earn about Rs. 1,500 a month. Many of them are the sole breadwinners in the family. With all the seven textile mills closed in Solapur and the handloom industry working below capacity, unemployment is high.

A ray of hope

This has even affected the wages of beedi workers, some of whom work for Rs. 35 to 40 a day, says Mr. Adam. In this context, the project comes as a ray of hope. The women are all members of the project called the Comrade Godutai Parulekar Mahila Beedi Kamgar Sahakari Grih Nirman Sanstha Maryadit (Comrade Godutai Parulekar Beedi Workers Cooperative Housing Society Limited).

It is spread across 450 acres, at Kumbhari, about eight km from Solapur city and while most of the construction of the self-contained houses is complete, with water and electricity, and the problem is the drainage.

About Rs. 15 crore is needed for drainage, Rs. 6 crore for roads and another Rs. 8 crore for a much needed hospital, says Mr. Adam.

A potable water supply scheme has been sanctioned by the Government and the Maharashtra State Electricity Board has provided Rs. 3.75 crore for electricity supply infrastructure.

The other issue is employment.

There is a proposal to set up common sheds where women can roll beedis so that they do not have to travel to the city every day.

Not an easy struggle

The struggle for housing has not been easy, though once the idea was mooted all the political parties supported it.

``An earlier housing project for 3,000 people resulted in the families incurring heavy debts and this time, we were determined to see that the women would not be burdened," said Mr. Adam.

Another project of 10,000 low-cost houses was being envisaged for beedi workers, he adds.

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