Voice of America: New Delhi: Wednesday, December 06, 2017.
It is not
easy for residents of New Delhi’s largest resettlement colony to rush out of
their homes and scramble to fill water jars on cold, foggy winter mornings when
they hear a water tanker arrive.
But after
living without access to a tap for years, the 30,000 residents of this area are
grateful when the tanker shows up every day.
“We used to
bring water from such a long distance. We could not even offer anyone a glass
of water, we had to keep it for our children,” recalls Urmila Devi, one of the
residents.
For years,
the residents struggled without basic civic amenities in this distant suburb
where they were relocated from city slums when the Indian capital was being
dressed up for the 2010 Commonwealth Games.
That has
changed now that women like Devi have learned how to exercise their legal
rights to access basic services.
Using a law
that empowers Indians to seek information from the government to promote
accountability and transparency, these women waged an effective campaign with
city authorities to improve access to water, sanitation and transport. Their success
is a rare example of economically disadvantaged people using the Right to
Information Act to transform their community.
Filing
applications under this law, they found out that water tankers allocated to
their area were often going elsewhere a common practice in a city where water
shortages prompt residents of other areas to buy the water from the tankers.
The
complaints prompted local authorities to fit the tankers with GPS trackers to
ensure they reach their destination. Since then the tankers have arrived
regularly easing off their water woes. An automated water dispensing unit has
been installed in case household supplies run low.
Since the
Right to Information was enacted in 2005, tens of thousands of applications
have been filed by ordinary citizens to hold authorities to account for grievances
such as broken roads or clogged drains. Some media reports have called RTI the
“fifth pillar of democracy.”
But the
queries have rarely come from poorer communities. However activists hope this
resettlement colony, where the battle for water prompted a sustained campaign
for other services such as public toilets and buses, will show the way to
others. Once poorly served by public transport, more buses now come to the
area, easing commuting woes. A health center has been built and a community center
is also coming up.
These barely
literate women learned how to handle the paper work and deal with city
officials under a project led by the non-profit Marg. It was not an easy
endeavor. Urmila Devi and the other women recall traveling for miles to attend
meetings. After being accustomed to living on the margins for years, they were
confused when they were told they had civic rights. And it took almost a year
to understand how to petition authorities.
“Initially
our writing was crooked. But gradually it improved. The young girls and boys
involved in our project here helped us,” said Devi.
The women
were motivated to learn because they were the worst hit by the lack of
amenities, points out Mohammed Noor Alam, a program manager at Marg, who has
been at the forefront of the program to train the women. “Water became the test
case on which they were able to learn, prove to themselves that they can
achieve their rights. And the women brought about change,” he pointed out.
It was a
slow, gradual process that has set fire to their ambitions to transform their
area.
Women like
Nazra Khatun are now turning their attention to social problems such as safety
for women and young girls. “We feel empowered after our efforts. We want to
work to end domestic violence here and have more harmony in homes,” she said.
The power of
activism has turned these women into community leaders. Alam said empowering
women in this manner could help millions of residents who crowd slums in
sprawling Indian cities. “They are like hawks who keep a watch on everything.
If you see holistically such change led by women can transform the entire
society,” he said.
And the
battle to upgrade the resettlement area is not over. The women are pressing
authorities to improve cleanliness and campaigning to get piped water on their
doorsteps. Urmila Devi says she wants a water tap in her home. “I get wet when
I go out to fill water every day,” she said. “If so many people in the city
have piped water, why can’t we?”
Chants for a
pipeline are now ringing loud in the narrow lanes of this resettlement colony.
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