Mumbra : a Status Report
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Mumbra : A Status Report Ranu Jain with support from Ruchi Sinha Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai, August, 2014 Acknowledgements I thank Maharashtra State Minorities Commission, Government of Maharashtra, for commissioning this Report to the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai, which gave me an opportunity to study a minority concentrated area and to understand its dynamic somewhat in its totality. I am grateful to Ms. Thanksy F. Thekkekara (I.A.S.), Additional Chief Secretary, Minorities Development Department, Maharashtra, for her keen interest in the study and valuable suggestions. Thanks are also due to Mrs. Ainul Attar, Joint Secretary, Minorities Development Department, Maharashtra for her co-operation and support, that facilitated completion of the report. I would like to thank Mr. S.E.A. Hashmi, Secretary, Maharashtra State Minorities Commission for his enthusiasm for the study which compelled me to expedite the study. Special thanks are due to Mr. Bhoir, Mumbra Prabhag Samiti, Mumbra, without whose help this study would neveer have been completed. He shared his insights about Mumbra-Kausa and in the collection of data from Mumbra Prabhag Samiti. I offer especial thanks to Dr. Ruchi Sinha, Associate Professor, Centre for Criminology and Justice, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai, for sharing with us her expertise in the area of health and crime. I am thankful to my research team who worked in various capacities and contributed towards timely submission of the report. Thanks are due to Mr. Noor Alam. Mr. Akbar Khan Azam Khan, Ms. Praveena Lakshamanan, Ms. Almas Kharbari, Ms. Maryam Fatima, Ms. Neelima Ambekar, Mr. Akram Khan, Ms. Abha Basargekar, Ms. Anchal Jain, Ms. Shalila Raz and Mr. Abraham N. James Especial thanks are due to Ms. Sangita Bansode for her involved editing and formatting of the Report. I also thank my respondents who took time out of their busy schedule not only to provide data and information to us but also to give us contacts to further the work. I also thank Professor S. Parasuraman. Director, Tata Institute of Social Sciences for providing required support to work on this study. I am grateful to my colleagues in the Centre for Studies in Sociology of Education, Prof. Padma Velaskar and Prof. Leena Abraham, who gave me important insight into the dynamics of ghettoization being practiced in the Mumbra – Kausa area but also tolerated delays in the Centre activities caused due to the report. Thank you Padma and Leena! I thank my family for tolerating and managing with my long absence caused due to data collection and report writing. Ranu Jain Professor Centre for Studies in Sociology of Education, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai - 400088 Contents Page No. Acknowledgement Executive Summary I Introduction 1 II Infrastructure 9 III People 51 IV Health 64 V Education 84 VI Economy 105 VII Women 124 VIII Crime: Security and Safety 154 IX Conclusion and Recommendations 164 Tables 186 Appendix A 257 Executive Summary • The study to formulate a development plan for Mumbra is proposed and sponsored by the Maharashtra State Minorities Commission. Later with exposure to the area, the scope of the study got extended to Kausa as the two places are interlinked to each other and have to be addressed together. • The multi-sectoral development plan (DP) aims at improving the socio-economic parameters of basic amenities for enhancing the quality of life of the residents of the area in order to bring them at par with the national average. It recommends identification of the development deficits through a baseline survey and developing a specific plan for provision of better infrastructure for school and secondary education, sanitation, pucca housing, drinking water and electricity supply, besides beneficiary oriented schemes for creating income generating activities. Absolutely critical infrastructure linkages like connecting roads, basic health infrastructure, skill development and marketing facilities required for improving living conditions and income generating activities are also to be covered. • Although undertaking a base line survey to locate development deficits in the area, the study is people oriented and aims towards developing an intensive understanding of the people of Mumbra-Kausa. It submits that the State can provide resources but to be effective, these resources have to reach and be accepted by the people. This requires an understanding of the population of Mumbra-Kausa, especially of various factions of people living in various pockets in the area. These pockets have different histories of migration and settlement as well as past experiences and memories, which affect their approach towards the State, its machinery and opportunities. • A base line survey was conducted on 1065 households covering 4980 individuals. The survey began in the month of February 2011 and continued till the month of September 2011. It was later discovered that there was a paucity of data from an extremely deprived area. Therefore, the data from this area was incorporated later, in the month of January- February, 2012. • The study covers minimum of 50 samples from each of the 19 wards falling within Mumbra Division. From certain wards more samples have been taken in order to cover divergent population in the area. Rashid compound is an example from where 75 samples i have been collected. Along with the survey, we have interviewed more than 50 individuals residing in the areas falling within the jurisdiction of Mumbra Prabhag Samiti. 9 focus group discussions have also been conducted. Data has also been collected from 9 banks, 18 hospitals, 2 public health centres, 1 maternity ward 26 Thane municipal schools, 28 private educational institutions and 10 non-government organizations. Infrastructure • Mumbra-Kausa falls under the administrative purview of Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC). It became a part of Mumbra Prabhag Samiti in 1984. The geographical spread of Mumbra Prabhag Samiti is 28 sq. km. while Mumbra-Kausa is claimed to spread over 9.5 sq. kms. From Reti Bunder to Sheelphata (Mhatre Mansion to the entrance of Kalsekar College/hospital) by the sides of the 6.5 km. stretch of the old Mumbai – Pune highway. • Because of the unique topography of Mumbra-Kausa, which extends from Thane creek to Parasik hills, Mumbra-Kausa is under the jurisdiction of three departments: Forest Department, Coastal Regional Zone (CRZ) and Thane Municipality. For effective development in the area, there is a need for more effective coordiantion among these departments. Unauthorized Construction • In the Sthawar Malmatta Report developed in the year 2002-3, only 114 buildings were mentioned in the jurisdiction of Mumbra Prabhag Samiti. • Unauthorized construction is the major problem faced in Mumbra-Kausa. Lack of co- ordination among the above mentioned three departments is one of the major reasons why Mumbra-Kausa has such a high number of unauthorized structures and inadequate infrastructural facilities such as pipelines, electricity connections and sewerage system. • The unauthorized buildings are under no compulsion to follow government norms, especially those of water supply, electricity and sewerage system. Although available at cheaper rates, many of these building structures may be risky to live in, as these, in general, do not undergo quality checks. Our team found some of the buildings in a very dilapidated condition. • The unauthorized buildings do not follow the development plan and hence encroach on important spaces reserved for public use like gardens, schools and play grounds. Buildings ii are situated very close to each other with no proper space or roads in between even for passing of an Ambulance or Fire brigade. • One of the reasons behind inadequate establishment of banks and good quality public institutions in Mumbra-Kausa is lack of authorized buildings for these to rent or own. Roads • Our observation reveals that Mumbra-Kausa has one prominent main road of 6.5 kms length and 30 meters width that runs from Mhatre mansion on one end to the entrance of Kalsekar hospital and college on the other. The Sthawar Malmatta Report mentions 102 roads under Mumbra Prabhag Samiti. Among these 16 are CC roads while 86 are BM roads. We, however, during our survey felt that Mumbra-Kausa has a very insignificant length of internal road made of concrete. The roads are uneven and have caved in at various places and have numerous potholes. In most places, the roads are dug up and have pipes running on them. • Ward no. 98 or Retibunder is situated to the east of the railway track. This implies that the residents have to cross the railway track to go anywhere and to access facilities of any nature. One crossing has been constructed under the railway track. However, this crossing is accessible only to residents of Rana Nagar, Gautam Nagar, Adivasi Colony and Punjabi Colony. Another crossing is required to avoid frequent accidents of the residents from other areas while crossing the railways. • Accidents also take place on the Navi Mumbai-Pune Road due to speeding vehicles. Absence of foot-over-bridges and inadequate implementation of speeding regulations on the Navi Mumbai-Pune highway, in addition to lack of traffic sense among people have affected the lives of the residents in this area. • The new highway has very precarious boundaries and at some places no boundaries at all. We have come across cases of vehicles as huge as trucks falling down from the highway. This is extremely dangerous as we witnessed hutments at an extreme close proximity to the new Highway. We also witnessed a tanker that had fallen very close (almost on top) to the huts. • Roads have been encroached upon by the hawkers and have got further narrowed by parking vehicles. Need is to develop hawkers zone and parking places. iii Transportation • The commuting problem has affected earning capacity of Mumbra-Kausa residents. The root of reluctance behind traveling lies in the cost of traveling and time consumed in traveling, especially if people want to avoid auto-rickshaws.