27 May,2011 06:24 AM IST | | Varun Singh
Leader of opposing residents' group slams social activist Medha Patkar's hunger strike, says that not all residents are against the redevelopment project and most of the protestors are illegal residents
The scene at Golibar slums in Khar (West) appears to be taken right from a Bollywood movie. While on one hand, social activist Medha Patkar continues to starve for the cause of slum dwellers against the builder, 100 metres away from her, another protest is on. And that agitation is against none other than Medha Patkar.
For the last six days, Patkar and her supporters have been protesting against Shivalik Ventures, the builders responsible for the redevelopment project of Golibar, which spreads across 140 acres near the Mumbai airport and comprises of 46 societies and 26,000 tenements.
One on one: Shubhangi Shinde, chief promoter of Ganesh Krupa
Society goes on a chain hunger strike to oppose Medha Patkar and
support the rehabilitation project at Golibar near Santa Cruz on Tuesday.
Pic/Satyajit Desai
Numbers game
And while Patkar and her posse continue to protest and bring in the media glare, the other group demonstrating raises some eyebrows. Shubhangi Shinde, the chief promoter of one of the societies and the leader of the second protesting group, claims that not all residents are against the redevelopment. "We have more than 7,000 tenants who are in favour of the redevelopment. There are only 72 people standing behind Patkar and 50 per cent of those people are ineligible. Patkar is misleading everyone claiming that we are against the redevelopment. I don't understand why Patkar is against our growth and playing such games," said Shinde.
Jogendra Gajbiye, another slum dweller against Patkar's strike said, "Patkar doesn't have local support instead she has got people from other slums like Mankhurd and Manori and others. They don't know anything about this place and the problems." But, unaffected by the criticism, Patkar and her faction continue to protest against the builder.u00a0"More than 500 slum dwellers are always present in our pandal and supporting the hunger strike," said Simpreet Singh, Coordinator of the National Alliance of People's movement supporting Patkar.
Buying the protest?
Refuting criticism that the builder was behind their protest, Shinde said the builder had nothing to do with it. She said, "We don't need the builder's money for this protest because the builder is not wrong and we are not doing it for him. It's for us as we need houses and the builder is providing us with homes. He already has constructed some homes and would shift some of us." Denying any claims of using money power to persuade people, Kiran Jadhav, COO, Shivalik Ventures, also denied that his firm was giving any monetary help to the slum dwellers. "We have already done a lot for them. We are not providing them any monetary help but yes we are with them morally and ethically. There's a need for the people to understand that not everyone is against the redevelopment," he said.
Patkar's health
Entering the sixth day of the hunger strike, there are worries about Patkar's health. Dr Maruti Panchpute MD (medicine), who checked Patkar yesterday evening said, "Her blood pressure was a bit low and her heart beat has increased, which is not a good sign. If this continues, it would affect her health severely." Panchpute claimed that currently there was no reason to panic, but if Patkar did not stop soon, she could suffer renal failure.
140 acres Area of Golibar, which is also the city's second largest slum
26,000 Approximate number of families who live at Golibar
Six Days that Medha Patkar has been on hunger strike at Golibar
