The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : Demand for equitable share of land for the poor

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Thursday, Feb 07, 2008
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Demand for equitable share of land for the poor

Special Correspondent

The conspiracy to monopolise retail market will be challenged at all costs, says Medha Patkar

Poor are alienated from thier lands and livelihood
Panel to strive for benefits like PF, pension to workers

— Photo: PTI

For the people: Social activist Medha Patkar addressing a press conference near Charminar in Hyderabad on Wednesday.

HYDERABAD: The National Urban Development Struggle Committee has given a call to pave way for democratic process of planning to fulfil aspirations of urban poor and give them equitable share of land.

The two-day meeting of the Committee under the aegis of National Alliance of Peoples Movement that concluded on Wednesday had 84 participants from 20 organisations across seven states.

The meeting deliberated on issues being faced by various categories of urban poor- slum dwellers, hawkers, unorganised workers, small traders.

In the name of urban renewal projects, infrastructure development like roads, flyovers, SEZs, poor were being alienated from land, housing, livelihoods, basic services across cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Hyderabad, participants reported.

Trampling the people

Medha Patkar, NAPM convenor briefing media persons at Charminar said that none was against infrastructure development but land acquisition was not by eviction and marginalisation of poor. In the name of development, human rights of poor comprising 70 per cent population were being trampled, she pointed out.

Part of urban economy

The poor formed part and parcel of urban economy and a conspiracy was being hatched by the Indian and international investors to monopolise retail market. It would be challenged at all costs, she asserted.

Action plan

The resource persons from AP and other states working on various issues would formulate strategies and action plan and go to grass root levels to conduct workshops to enable each Gram Sabha and ward has its own plan fulfilling people’s needs as per Article 243 of Constitution and launch campaigns.

The meeting demanded provision of Hawker Zones on the roads itself as per National Hawkers Policy, 2004 which recognised hawkers as self- employed and their contribution to urban economy and priority for public transport, affordable mass transport in transport planning.

The Committee would also strive for extending same benefits like PF, pension to 96 per cent of workers who are in unorganised sector, she said.

Destroying heritage

Pertaining to city, forcible eviction of poor without proper rehabilitation from banks of Musi and Hussain Sagar in the name of various projects and hawkers from Charminar area, planned destruction of environment, character and heritage of Hyderabad were opposed.

S. Jeevan Kumar of Human Rights Forum, National Hawkers Federation President Shaktiman Gosh, Rajender Ravi focusing on urban transport issues, Vedkumar of Forum for Better Hyderabad, Mazhar Hussain of COVA, Selwin of Chatri and others spoke.

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