Lucknow ghetto-dwellers have no sanitation, no drinking water, no home, no education, even no electric connection

AMIT AMBEDKAR; LUCKNOW

The capital  Lucknow is still in Uttar Pradesh as the "Takht of the Deccan" which people call "the settlement of Natuvan"

‘Natuvan’ means ethnic which expresses about people of a community,  billow of fume by kindling the wood under the bees-hive, expel them, and then extract the honey oozed by it, but here the meaning is about mere a poor community.

Scheduled Tribes Tharu community in Lucknow is living as a bonded laborer and slaves for four generations.

Due to fear, Tharu community does not complain about their problem

September 20 Lucknow: a village about 25 km away from "Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly", which is known as 'Banthra'! Banthra Sikandarpur, located in Sarojini Nagar assembly area, is a settlement.

The place is known by the people as "the settlement of Natuvan", in the name of "slum settlement".

On 18 September this month, I trekked the villages in the morning of 6 o'clock.

On reaching there, I noticed in this slum dwelling that after working hard to break a community, even after spreading the siege and rotten garbage from the waste, to live life among the smelly deodorant, is forced!

Ramesh Tharu, who lives in Sikandarpur Basti, told, “I’m from Tharu community of Scheduled Tribes and working as a bonded laborer, a slave with four generations here.”

 He told, “I’m aware of my problem; if I complain, the people of the village will kill me and flee from here or they can set our habitats on fire.”

 So the community people say under Thakur’s henchmen fear, “Do not complain.”

Ramesh told, “Till today, the community people have not been given government accommodation, the land they live on has been forbidden to make any kind of construction whether they are permanent or temporary any living in their community. Pension is not available to senior citizens, widows, and disabled.

Ramesh said, “People living in Una's community have 'valid Aadhaar card' along with a valid 'Voter Identity Card'.”

He says that his ID has been printed on ST / SC and he actively voted in every election even after his scheduled caste certificate is not made, due to which he is deprived of government schemes. The village head is not making rations cards of their community and even if some people are issued, then they do not get ration. Not only this, all the people living in their community are laborers, but their job card has not been made, due to which they cannot file in the employment criterion under MNREGA.

Ramesh said that there is no hope for anybody in his community and he does not have an Agnewadi center. Ramesh also told that he has no arrangements for medical facilities. If there is a disease, then there is no government hospital nearby.

If there is a need, then do have to take medicines from private doctors; women of their community are taken to the government hospital Sarojini Nagar in the motherhood stage, and then go to the doctor for treatment and medicine to pay the money.

Kamla Tharu, living in the same 'Settlement', says that when most people enjoy rain, these people have to be deprived of food and the rain water fills the cottage in the cottage, due to which the people are often ill.

As a result, they are deprived of sleep and food because they do not have cots, they sleep on land and make food by kindling the wood on the 'earth made furnace.'

Divyaunga 'Usha' from both legs of the same community told that there is no lavatory in her entire premises due to which she has to go for two kilometer away by her broken wheel chair, even after her and other dwellers do have to hear the racket by the farm owners.

Usha also said that eight years ago her cottage was set on fire, due to which the whole habitation huts gutted into fire; consequently the government had given only 2000 thousand rupees as compensation!

Due to poverty, she had to leave their studies. Even after living in the capital, she does not have electricity, so buying kerosene oil from the market; she uses the diary "lanterns". There is no clean water for drinking purpose. The water which is water of 300 family populations is very water contaminated, which are not potable, yet they are forced to quench their thirst by drinking this.

This is an incredible but Sikandarpur  Banthara area is a witness.

Our constitution provides free and compulsory education rights for children between the ages of 6-14. Under the Right to Education Act 2009, there should be a toilet arrangement in the school premises, but unfortunately, schools of 6 to 9 (Lala Bikhari Lal Kanya School ) does not have toilets. The girls studying in the school  either go back to their homes or go away in the open; this is why the girl students leave their studies -- even the teachers do have to go to the toilet in the open. There is no proper bench, chairs and electricity in the school.

There, in the elementary school, Scheduled Caste / Scheduled Tribe children are forced to sit outside the last or final line or some are denied admission or return by referring to the second day. It turns into months and years; even it is quote that the students of other community avoid to take drinking water which has touched by this community.

Unfortunately, there is a serious violation of the basic level and they are being deprived of the respected standard of living as a fundamental right.

It is an unbelievable one, but the witness of the state capital city of Uttar Pradesh, Sikanderpur area, is a witness.