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.
