It’s Time to Party

Hurray it’s time to Party as UPA -2 completes its two years in office for the second term. Manmohan earns plaudits from Sonia, Rahul, and other UPA allies for his record 9% growth in G.D.P. As the celebrations go on at 10 Janpath, the government continues to face serious charges of corruption in various sectors.

The Nexus of Corruption

Even as the key ministers of the government like Kalmandi, A.Raja, members of key allies Kanimozhi are in Jail and other ministers face serious charges, with growing anger among the masses, no strong action has been taken to tackle corruption. In the name of so – called development projects, coastal corridors, sez’s, slum- redevelopment, metro rail a nexus between the government, politicians, bureaucrats and corporate companies continues.

The on-going struggle of slum dwellers in Mumbai from past so many years exposes the deep rooted corruption and nexus between the Government and Builders under the cover of the Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) in Mumbai that has led to lakhs of slum-dwellers struggling for the basic right to a house. The people living in the slums are the one who comprise the major sections of people working in the service industry and small-scale industries. These slums are the natural habitats to them who have been staying there from years but who cares “It’s time to party!”

The Road to Shanghai

The expansion of the Mumbai airport at par to shanghai throwing out slum dwellers from the international airport vicinity and taking over the encroached land will not improve airport operations. Such a move will only mean big profit for the developers.

It is not what Raj Thackeray says that these people come from other states to earn a good living. They might be just few people who come to the cities with pull of the luxury lifestyle but the rest come there because they are pushed out from their natural habitats from the villages in the name of dam’s, thermal plants, nuclear plants and other so- called development projects but who cares “It’s time to enjoy!”

Life here in Hyderabad Slums

The condition is much worse than the Dharavi slum here in Hyderabad. Slime and sludge greet one everywhere. The stink from over-flowing drainage is overpowering. People live here in sub human conditions with no civic amenities. It is an unending narrow lanes dotted with asbestos-roofed one room tenements. And most shocking about this slum in Bholakpur is the total absence of toilets as they simply can't afford a latrine.

According to the testing done by Joint Action Water(JAW) in slum areas in Hyderabad 902 water samples lifted from 36 slums of Rasoolpura, Bholakpur, Chaderghat, Saidabad, Musheerabad and Sanatnagar between September 2010 and February 2011, 595 lacked adequate levels of residual chlorine (0.2-0.5 permissible limit per mg/I) and 52 had bacterial contamination. Good quality samples were 293. This clearly shows the unsafe condition of life in these slum areas but who cares “It’s time to rock!”

Similar story of Hyderabad Metro

Again in the name of city beautification and necessity of transport facilities the Metro Project was taken up surrounded with controversies. The project is not only questionable on the grounds of its destruction but the benefits of it. On one side it affects the livelihood of thousands of people in the vicinity of Hyderabad and on other side it’s a fact of the matter that it does not solve the traffic problems of the city. Instead of developing the existing roads, APSRTC bus services, MMTS service in the city unwanted metro development project is being implemented with investment of cores of rupees of the tax payer but who cares “It’s time to have a blast!”

The Struggle of Irom Sharmila Chanu

The hunger strike of Irom Sharmila Chanu has crossed 10 years, with a demand for repeal of AFSPA (Armed Forces Special Powers Act, 1958. She has been forced fed, arrested on several charges, criminalized as a high security prisoner, denying her access to family, friends, supporters .The civic spaces are militarized within the country but who cares “It’s time to dance!”

Fear of Chernobyl, Repeat of Bhopal

Again in the name of development and energy requirements, large scale work is in progress to develop many thermal and nuclear plants. People across the country, farmers, fisher folks, peasants, activists, and environmentalist have been opposing the project on various grounds of destruction of ecological balance and have also question the vulgar consumption of electricity by people like Mukesh Ambani, whose 27 storey house in Mumbai consume electricity worth 70lakhs.

The past experiences of incidents like Chernobyl and very recently in Fukushima were forgotten making illogical excuses. The Bhopal gas leak, for which the victims are still fighting for justice should have been an eye-opener but no lessons have been learnt from the past and the same mistakes are being repeated today in nuclear projects. The story Jadugoda in Jharkhand reminds us the pain of ill effects of uranium mines but who cares “It’s time to laugh!”

Where is Modern day ROBIN HOOD?

In the recent past a huge uproar was sounded by congress and Rahul Gandhi in Uttar Pradesh who had gone there to get political mileage for the forth coming elections in UP. But one wonders that where Rahul Gandhi is when his own party and respective governments in various states continue to exploit the poor. It not only shows the double standards but also his visit to UP on one side and silence on atrocities by the congress ruled states seems more like a political tamasha. People are illegally arrested in Andhra Pradesh or Maharashtra, open firing is ordered against them and many die but who cares “It’s time to for next elections!”

I am not Responsible

An easy answer to all tough questions. One wonders how a prime minister of a country can give an answer that he is not responsible to the actions of his cabinet ministers, even though the constitution has the provision of collective responsibility. 2G, commonwealth, S-band, slum-redevelopment, inflation or any other scam, the prime minister says he is not responsible.

After Green clearances given to various projects like nuclear plant in Jaitapur, thermal plants in Andhra Pradesh, POSSCO projects in Orissa and many like such the environment minister distances himself from the controversy by a simple answer that he his compelled to give a green nod and he is not responsible. Even though people are affected by these projects but who cares “It’s time to feel elated!”

Who Cares?

Whatever happens in the city, villages or anywhere in the country it does not make a difference to the politicians, bureaucrats or the government because the affected one are the poor, under-privileged and marginalized. The corporate companies are getting a special package, ministers are getting their salary, the rich are getting richer, the land mafias are getting more powerful, and UPA-2 has completed its 2 years term in office so “It’s time to party!”

Sashank Rajwadi.
Activist
Associated with NAPM