PITIABLE EXISTENCE: It has been a miserable life for slum dwellers in Lakshman Rau Nagar Slum where close to six families live under one roof. — Photo: K. Gopinathan

Bangalore: The Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BMP) Council on November 26, 1989 passed a resolution that slum dwellers in four slums at Koramangala could be given ownership of the houses where they were staying at a nominal rate of Rs. 500. The resolution was again passed in 1998. But till now, nothing has happened.

As on November 23, 2006, Arul Selva, a resident of the Lakshman Rau Nagar slum, still awaits his ownership documents. So do 1,800 other families in this slum and 1,200 families in the slums of Rajendra Nagar, Ambedkar Nagar and Shastri Nagar.

`No time'

"We work from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. So, we do not have the time to follow it up with the authorities. We have submitted applications, but have received no response yet," says Mr. Selva.

Meanwhile, the living conditions at this supposedly "rehabilitated" slum continue to remain pathetic, even after it came under BMP limits in 1995 and the Karnataka Slum Development Corporation (KSDC) took it over 18 months ago.

KSDC built around 300 houses under the Valmiki Ambedkar Awas Yojana.

Even now under one roof, six families live in 10x7 feet enclosures at Lakshman Rau Nagar slum. There is one flickering bulb. There are no windows and only one door provides entry and exit points to all the six families.

Their "homes" are, however, an improvement from the time they were forced to take turns to sleep for lack of space — a batch in the morning, another in the afternoon and the rest at night. Now, they have put up thatched sheets to demarcate living space and ensure privacy.

The entire area is on a huge storm water drain that carries all waste and rainwater from the City Market area towards the Koramangala valley. Pointing to a huge chamber of the storm water drain, Gajalakshmi, who lives on 27th cross, says, "Sewage overflows from here and floods the entire area. We personally had to arrange for slabs on roads to be put here. We have had our houses elevated to a certain extent. Now, water enters houses only if it rains heavily."

Sewage drains run in front of the houses in Lakshman Rau Nagar. The residents had to wage a battle to get Rs. 2.64 crore sanctioned for water supply, says Puttanna of Koramangala Slum Development Committee.

Overflowing sewage

"Water pressure is so low that we have had to dig pits and leave our pipes underground. Since sewage overflows and enters the pits, we have to clear the sewage with our own hands and clean the pipes before we collect drinking water," says Sayeeda, a resident.

A community toilet stands in front of the road opposite Vijaylakshmi's house. It was built two years ago and was never opened. In front of the locked gates of this toilet stands almost seven feet of garbage. "A small tempo comes once in two months or so and lifts the garbage only from the top," says Vijayalakshmi.

"We used to live like cockroaches. Only when we formed a committee of our own and with the little help we received from NGOs can we term our living conditions as somewhat human," says Mr. Puttanna.

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