Voices from Garib Nagar: How Mumbai’s Slum Dwellers Are Shaping Maharashtra’s 2024 Election

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Voices from Garib Nagar: How Mumbai’s Slum Dwellers Are Shaping Maharashtra’s 2024 Election" delves into the lives and concerns of the residents of Garib Nagar, one of Mumbai's largest slums, as they prepare to cast their votes in the upcoming Maharashtra Assembly elections. This report highlights the issues they face, from inadequate infrastructure to the demand for better housing, healthcare, and employment opportunities. The piece explores how these marginalized communities are voicing their demands and how their votes could significantly impact the electoral outcome. With political leaders vying for their attention, Garib Nagar’s residents are proving to be a key demographic in the shaping of Maharashtra’s political future

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Transcript

00:00So Ishra ji is taking us to her house.

00:07I am right now. This is Gareeb Nagar.

00:09This is Gareeb Nagar. We are going in one lane.

00:12This is her house.

00:14Let's go sister. Let's see what's ahead.

00:16So this is one of the unexplored places.

00:22No light.

00:23And these are your small houses.

00:26I can tell you the stench is quite difficult to live.

00:34It is quite difficult to live.

00:38The place where we are going.

00:39This is how she is going to her house.

00:41This is her house.

00:42You can imagine the difficulty, problems that they face here.

00:47How do you go to the toilet and washroom here?

00:52You have to stand in a queue here.

00:54I see.

00:56There is a small shop here.

01:02So this is how everyone has made their homes?

01:05Yes, everyone has made their homes.

01:07They have made a room for themselves.

01:13But we haven't done anything yet.

01:16And how do you use the light here?

01:18There is a rat here.

01:20If we take Rs.1500 or Rs.1000, they don't give us a rat.

01:24I see.

01:26This is our cabin.

01:29Let's show you our house.

01:31This is our cabin.

01:33Who made this cabin?

01:36It was already made.

01:38So do you imagine how difficult is it?

01:41The living conditions.

01:43This is the hut.

01:45Namaste.

01:47So this is the house of Ishra.

01:50And this is the living condition.

01:52Are these your children?

01:53No, they are her children.

01:54This is my son.

01:55I see.

01:56And you imagine the situation, the living condition.

02:00At least here you have some light.

02:03And this is Ishra ji's house.

02:06Please turn on the light and show us what you make.

02:10So we have finally reached.

02:11It was not easy to just cross.

02:14This is her house.

02:15And this is how she reaches from the entire...

02:18You know it is like a tunnel where you can't see anything.

02:21There is no light at all.

02:22And you can imagine the living conditions in this place.

02:26This is Garib Nagar.

02:27This is Didi's house.

02:29She will show us her house.

02:33And these are her children.

02:35And there is a small chicken here.

02:39So how do you manage to live here?

02:42I have given him the light for 5 minutes and now he will turn it off.

02:44Didi, this is your house.

02:46You have made it upstairs for living.

02:48Yes, we have made it upstairs.

02:49So most of your houses are like this.

02:51Yes, all of them are like this.

02:52I don't have anything.

02:53We are living like this.

02:54Please tell us a little about what you do,

02:56about the clothes you have kept here.

03:01We pack them in big packets.

03:03What is all this, Didi?

03:05We pack it in 5-5 packets.

03:07We put corn in it.

03:09Oh, these are your small clothes.

03:12Do you have a supplier?

03:15No, we make clothes for each other.

03:17How much do you sell for 5-5 packets, Didi?

03:21We sell it for 1 rupee.

03:22You sell it for 1 rupee.

03:24And do you get the goods?

03:26No, no. People give it to us.

03:27They give it to you.

03:28You just have to sew it?

03:29Yes.

03:30No, we have to pack it.

03:31You just have to pack it.

03:32We have to make it straight.

03:33We have to put labels on it.

03:34We have to do it one by one.

03:35So if you make one, you get 1 rupee, right?

03:37Yes.

03:38Please tell us your name again.

03:40Ishrat Ishtiaq Sheikh.

03:41Ishrat Ishtiaq Sheikh lives in Ishrat ji's house.

03:45He has two lovely children in Gareeb Nagar.

03:48We are talking a lot in this election.

03:52But look at their living conditions.

03:57This is your living condition.

03:58This is Didi's kitchen.

03:59She has made a small house upstairs.

04:01They live here.

04:03How many families are there like you, Didi?

04:06Me?

04:08How many families live here like you, Ishrat?

04:11Everyone lives here.

04:13How many families?

04:15But how many families are there?

04:17How many families are there?

04:19200 families, 350 families.

04:21500 to 600 families.

04:23500 to 600 families living in this condition, in this area.

04:27And their demand is very basic.

04:29Water, electricity.

04:30But there is no electricity.

04:32There is no tap.

04:33There is no toilet.

04:34It comes and goes after half an hour.

04:37They give it to us at 9 in the night.

04:39We cut it again and again.

04:40They don't let us sleep.

04:41And then at 4 in the morning, they cut it.

04:45And then they don't give us anything.

04:47If they give us a little, we cut it.

04:49They take 1000 rupees.

04:50What is the biggest problem of living here?

04:53The biggest problem is electricity and water.

04:55The biggest problem.

04:57If that comes, everything will be fine?

04:59Yes, everything will be fine.

05:01Is your business going well?

05:02Yes.

05:03If there is no electricity, how will we work in the summer?

05:05There is no heat.

05:07How many children do you have?

05:09I have three boys and one girl.

05:11One is my husband.

05:13We are a family of six.

05:15What do you do for water?

05:17We have to get up at 4 in the morning.

05:19Then we have to fill water.

05:21They also lock us in the tap.

05:23How much water do you fill?

05:26We fill a bucket of water.

05:29If we don't get up, we won't get water.

05:32Even if we ask for a glass, no one will give us.

05:34We will throw it, but no one will give us.

05:36This is what we do here.

05:38The public doesn't give us water.

05:40Is there a tap where you have to fill water at 4?

05:42Yes.

05:44How far is that tap?

05:46You have to go down the stairs.

05:48You have to pay 200 rupees.

05:50Do you pay them 200 rupees?

05:52Yes.

05:54Still, we don't get water.

05:56How much do you earn per month?

05:58We don't earn 2-3 days per month.

06:00We earn 400-500 rupees per month.

06:02Per month?

06:04Yes.

06:06In a month, we earn 5000-8000 rupees.

06:08It depends on the quality of the material.

06:10The more the material, the more money we earn.

06:12The more the material, the more money we earn.

06:14How much is the cost?

06:16Do your children go to your school?

06:18Yes.

06:20My daughter is studying in the 12th grade.

06:22It costs 10,000-12,000 rupees.

06:24The tuition fee is 800 rupees.

06:26The tuition fee is 800 rupees.

06:28My daughter is studying in a national school.

06:32It's a private school.

06:34They charge us for everything.

06:36We request them to forgive us for being poor.

06:38But they don't forgive us.

06:40Are you from Mumbai?

06:42No, I am from Firozabad.

06:44You are from Firozabad?

06:46Yes.

06:48We have been living here for 25-26 years.

06:50All my children were born here.

06:52My husband used to live here.

06:54So we came here.

06:56Won't you have a good life in Firozabad?

06:58Won't you have a good life in Firozabad?

07:00We don't go anywhere.

07:02We are poor people.

07:04We don't ask anyone.

07:06We just stay here.

07:08We don't ask anyone.

07:10We don't ask anyone.

07:12So this is the Mumbai that you must see.

07:14So this is the Mumbai that you must see.

07:16These are the houses of hundreds and thousands of families

07:18These are the houses of hundreds and thousands of families

07:20who are living in Bandra, nearby.

07:22And not just Bandra or nearby but everywhere in Mumbai.

07:24And not just Bandra or nearby but everywhere in Mumbai.

07:26Whether you go to Mahim or ONGC area

07:28or wherever, you have such living conditions.

07:30or wherever, you have such living conditions.

07:32So imagine their pain and their tragedy,

07:34the way they are living.

07:36Now, it is up to you.

07:38Who do you decide as the new CM of Maharashtra?

07:40Of course, the battle is going to be interesting.

07:42Of course, the battle is going to be interesting.

07:44But our choice or what we are left with

07:46is to help you decide

07:48is to help you decide

07:50and provide you the latest information

07:52or tell you the truth or show you the truth

07:54how people really live

07:56in these slums.

07:58What are the conditions?

08:00These lights are temporary.

08:02There is no water. She pays 200

08:04She pays 200

08:06every month to get water

08:08but that too is limited.

08:10And after that she does not have anything.

08:12There is no washroom, nothing. They have to be in the queue

08:14even to use the washroom. So imagine the kind of

08:16living conditions that they are in.

08:18So this is the area of

08:20Garimagar

08:22and you will see that

08:24I can't walk straight at this place

08:26because this place is

08:28so congested. You have the live wire up

08:30and people

08:32have small businesses. They do

08:34small work over here also.

08:36So this is the condition

08:38of the place

08:40and I will show you

08:42how when we go out

08:44how is the situation.

08:46I will show you the gully

08:48from where we came out just to

08:50tell you that what is the condition

08:52and how people are living. If I had to

08:54live at this place, I think I will be walking

08:56like this everyday because you just can't

08:58you know stand

09:00you have all the wires here

09:02and of course

09:04these conditions won't change until and unless

09:06there is redevelopment of these

09:08areas and people have demand

09:10that there should be water here

09:12there should be electricity

09:14but as the woman was saying

09:16we don't have the proper supply

09:18of electricity

09:20so let's see what all happens

09:22for people like these who are

09:24living in such areas

09:26which is catastrophic

09:28I just can't imagine living here

09:30but people are living in

09:32huge numbers. At least more than 500-600

09:34families here but imagine

09:36all across Mumbai

09:38people are living here

09:40like these sort of living conditions

09:42are common across Mumbai

09:44I think that's all I can say for One India

Voices from Garib Nagar: How Mumbai’s Slum Dwellers Are Shaping Maharashtra’s 2024 Election

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