IDL-56493.Pdf

Changes, Continuities, Contestations:Tracing the contours of the Kamathipura's precarious durability through livelihood practices and redevelopment efforts People, Places and Infrastructure: Countering urban violence and promoting justice in Mumbai, Rio, and Durban Ratoola Kundu Shivani Satija Maps: Nisha Kundar March 25, 2016 Centre for Urban Policy and Governance School of Habitat Studies Tata Institute of Social Sciences This work was carried out with financial support from the UK Government's Department for International Development and the International Development Research Centre, Canada. The opinions expressed in this work do not necessarily reflect those of DFID or IDRC. iv Acknowledgments We are grateful for the support and guidance of many people and the resources of different institutions, and in particular our respondents from the field, whose patience, encouragement and valuable insights were critical to our case study, both at the level of the research as well as analysis. Ms. Preeti Patkar and Mr. Prakash Reddy offered important information on the local and political history of Kamathipura that was critical in understanding the context of our site. Their deep knowledge of the neighbourhood and the rest of the city helped locate Kamathipura. We appreciate their insights of Mr. Sanjay Kadam, a long term resident of Siddharth Nagar, who provided rich history of the livelihoods and use of space, as well as the local political history of the neighbourhood. Ms. Nirmala Thakur, who has been working on building awareness among sex workers around sexual health and empowerment for over 15 years played a pivotal role in the research by facilitating entry inside brothels and arranging meetings with sex workers, managers and madams. Given the extremely sensitive and difficult research context, her contribution has been most critical. Robin Chaurasiya and Bani ,co founders of an incredible NGO called Kranti which works with young girls who have grown up in Kamathipura and provides them multiple avenues for learning and showcasing their potential, helped us understand the complicated discourse that surrounds sex work. We also thank PUKAR, Sunil Gangavane, and research fellows for their help in conducting fieldwork. We are thankful to Mr. Amin Patel, Member of Legislative Assembly, whose perspective helped understand the role of the state. We also thank Ms. Shahana Rizwan, Ward Corporator for her inputs. Mr. Yevle Deputy Engineer, MHADA provided us deep insight into the working and challenges of MHADA and their involvement in the neighbourhood. He also identified some resource persons who work on the ground and helped us understand the built environment. Mr. Dharshetkr and Ms. Sulakshana Mahajan’s deep and incisive understanding of the housing situation and policies of Mumbai was critical for our study. Police officials in the Nagpada police station were very helpful. Mr. Channa, Mr. Sunil Kadam and Mr.Dantoola, members of the Landlord Association of Kamathipura, as well Samaj Associations, allowed us to attend some of their meetings and helped us understand the challenges and complexities faced by the residents on a daily basis. Our respondents from the community through their kind and generous support and insightful knowledge helped shape our understanding of a neighbourhood whose complexity and rich history is little understood. We have changed their names in the text to respect and protect their privacy. We are most grateful to Apurva Gandhi and Devashree Ragde who worked as interns during the summer of 2015, and conducted detailed community mapping in Kamathipura, along with secondary and media research. Our team comprising Prof. Amita Bhide, Dr. Lalitha Kamath, Himanshu Burte, Shruthi Parthasarthy and Radhika Raj, provided important feedback and encouragement at various stages. Durgesh Solanki’s role in initiating fieldwork and identifying stakeholders was critical in constructing a base for our research. The secretarial staff at the School of Habitat Studies supported us at every step. Finally, IDRC’s support, at every step is deeply appreciated. Table of contents Acknowledgments ............................................................................................................... iii Table of contents .................................................................................................................. iv List of Abbreviations ........................................................................................................... vii List of Images and Maps ................................................................................................... viii 1 Introduction to the case study ........................................................................... 10 1.1 Introduction....................................................................................................... 10 1.2 Rationale for the case study: ............................................................................. 13 1.3 Theoretical and conceptual frameworks: .......................................................... 15 1.4 Methodology ..................................................................................................... 18 1.5 Structure of the case study: ............................................................................... 21 2 The Rise and the Fall of the Red Light District ................................................ 24 2.1 Introduction....................................................................................................... 24 2.2 The Social And Moral Production of A “Red Light District” – Role of The Colonial State, Police And Zoning Regulations .............................................................. 26 2.3 Local Elites, Fixers, Intermediaries in the Growth of Kamathipura ................. 29 2.4 The Post Colonial State, Deregulation, Illegalizing and Ghettoizing Sex Work 30 2.5 The Post Colonial State’s Developmentalism – Aids Prevention Programs in Kamathipura and the Decline of the Sex Trade ............................................................... 31 2.6 Liberalization, Rise of The Property Regime and Reregulationof Kamathipura 32 2.7 Redevelopment, Moral Aestheticism and the Creation of Strong Community Based Resistance to Sex Work ........................................................................................ 34 3 Building lives and livlihoods through Incrementalism, Autoconstruction and Violence 39 3.1. Spatiality and Temporality of Informal Work in Kamathipura ............................... 39 iv 3.2. The Historical and Social Production of Kamathipura as a Peripheral Space of Marginalised Occupations ............................................................................................... 46 3.3. Livelihoods and the Contested Processes of Spatial Claim Making ........................ 49 3.4. Autoconstruction, Incrementalism, Collaborations and Other Livelihood Practices56 3.5. Informal Sovereigns and Associationism ................................................................. 58 3.6. The Role of Police in the Production and Maintenance of the Informal Economy.. 60 3.7. Big Men, Fixers, Brokers ......................................................................................... 62 3.8. Political Mobilisation ............................................................................................... 63 3.9. Flexibility and Making Use of the Space of Exception ............................................ 67 3.10. The Intersections of Poverty, Vulnerability, Inequality and Violence ................... 67 3.11. Shifting from the Circuits Labour to Circuits of Land Based Economy ................ 70 4 Redeveloping Kamathipura – Challenges, Opportunities and Resistances ...... 72 4.1. Introduction .............................................................................................................. 72 4.2. The Rise of the Redevelopment Regime in Mumbai: The Changing State-Market Axis .................................................................................................................................. 74 4.3. Kamathipura: Redevelopment Interrupted and its Dangerous Consequences.......... 79 4.4. Incomplete State Interventions in Kamathipura ....................................................... 83 4.5. Private Efforts at Redeveloping Kamathipura .......................................................... 96 4.6. Implications and Challenges to Redevelopment by Private Players ...................... 102 5 Coalitions, Alliances and Fragmentation in Remaking and Reclaiming Kamathipura ...................................................................................................................... 107 5.1. Introduction ............................................................................................................ 107 5.2. Role of Informal Sovereigns in Kamathipura’s Thriving Informal Economy ....... 107 5.3. Local and Regional Political Parties, Leadership and Shaping Agendas in Kamathipura .................................................................................................................. 112 5.4. Of Coalitions, Oppositions and Deadlocks ............................................................ 114 5.4.1. Police, madams, landlords and the sex trade coalition ................. 115 v 5.4.2. The tenant–landlord rift and opposition to large scale redevelopment 116 5.5. Outcomes of Coalitions and Alliances ..................................................................

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