Indian slums and Commonwealth Games

[Spring Onion]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/5325034.stm

Slum dispute over Commonwealth Games
By John Sudworth
BBC News, Delhi


Naresh Halder, his wife and five children have just moved home.

They used to live on the banks of the Yamuna river, the polluted waterway that winds its sluggish way through the centre of Delhi.

But the Halders were forcibly relocated.

"Near the Yamuna, my kids were safe because we knew the community there, they were going to a government school and I had work, but here I have no way of finding a job," Naresh says.

Homes demolished

The new plot of land that the family has been allocated is more than 40km, and three bus rides, from the centre of Delhi.

In the last two years, more than a quarter of a million people have had their homes demolished along the banks of the Yamuna.

The city authorities plan to make Delhi completely slum-free in time for the arrival of thousands of foreign athletes and spectators for the next Commonwealth Games, due to be held here in 2010.

"World class city" is a phrase you often hear associated with the forthcoming tournament.

Delhi's Chief Minister, Sheila Dikshit, sees the Games as a chance to modernise.


This clearance had to be done, and it has been done

Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit

"They're a watershed, a kind of mark," she says. "The ambition is to create a world class city. Please don't think it's a magic wand, that just by saying it's going to happen it will. But that's the ambition."

There's a lot to do. More than US$1bn will be spent overhauling the city's transport links, securing reliable electricity and water supplies, and regenerating the city centre, not to mention building the sports facilities.

But it is the slum clearances that some people fear are at odds with one of the mission statements of the Commonwealth Games: "To develop sport for the benefit of the people."

'Kicked and shoved'

The "athletes' village" will be built on part of the east bank of the Yamuna, now cleared of slum dwellers.

Those who have been relocated, albeit many miles away, are actually the lucky ones.


The site for the Games has yet to be developed

Dr Kirin Martin, a paediatrician and founder of Asha, a charity that provides support to slum dwellers in Delhi, says many people didn't qualify for alternative housing.

"Many of them actually just moved to patches of land elsewhere in the city," she says, "and again they were just kicked and shoved by the police only to go to yet another place.

"I think that if the athletes ever came to know at what cost these facilities are being created, they would be very unhappy.

"People have been living here for 15 or 20 years... is this the way to treat a poor man?"

The authorities insist Delhi will be slum-free in time for the Games. More slums face demolition.

'City for the rich'

Chief Minister Dikshit says more than 100,000 low-cost homes are being built, and ultimately the strategy will serve the long term interests of the poor.

"The poorest residents have been moved because the Yamuna had to be cleaned up anyway," she says.

"All of those who qualify are being given their little plots of land, with water, power and schools. It takes a little time, there are problems, but we will overcome them.


The Indian table tennis team will be hoping to win in 2010

"This clearance had to be done, and it has been done."

Dr Kirin Martin says it falls a long way short of what is needed.

If the Games are a catalyst for building a new Delhi, she believes it is one that does not include the poor.

"It's only going to be a world class city for the rich," she says.

"You can't ever see any of these benefits coming to the urban poor, who form one third of this city's population.

"So what world class city are we talking about for these people?"

 

[Goodperson]

I am excited to hear when ever common wealth games are Asian games are held .
Its honour for the country, Since India has its fair share of poor such incidents may have occurred.

 

[Thunder]

Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit

Well anywho, we can clearly see how desperatee india is to show the world that it is a "superpower"

 

[Neo]

Well anywho, we can clearly see how desperatee india is to show the world that it is a "superpower"

Its merely a 'Global Back Office' but I love the 'Superpower' hype...makes me look like this:

 

[Bull]

Its merely a 'Global Back Office' but I love the 'Superpower' hype...makes me look like this:

Merely a global back office???
Neo do read a lot more,your opinion will change,i bet.

 

[Bull]

super power goal will be elusive ,unless we can give our fellow citizens a fair deal .

 

[muse]

Respect is called for - and the Indian, in this instance have earned it, they can point to more than 15 years of strong economic growth - can Pakistanis do the same? When then not give credit where credit is due.

Whether Pakistani or Indian or Bangla or Nepali or Lankan, it is a source of pride that millions of lives (just think about it for a minute) have been uplifted and continue to be - that "change", something peoples of the region known as South Asia thought impossible, is not only possible but is in effect right now.:flag:

 

[Spring Onion]

Alass the problem is despite all the economic gains the lot of poor remain the same.

in above case the slums being cleared just show the world that there is no poverty out there.
this attitude can not be called something positive. by denying the fact that there is much poverty we can only add to it not lessen it.

BTW this Superpower addiction is so great out there that they are even thinking themselves above China what to say about Pakistan

 

[Goodperson]

Any nation has poor - Agreed
India has lots of poor - Agreed
There should not be economic progress without poor - Disagree.

 

[Neo]

Merely a global back office???
Neo do read a lot more,your opinion will change,i bet.

Bull,

I'm quite well informed about India's economic progress and is been impressive for the last decade.
But much more is needed to become a super power. Despite strong industrial growth Indian economy is basically agri-based and growth in this sector anything but impressive.
Internet warriors keep talking about India as superpower but superpoer of what??
Infrastructe needs overhauling, $320 billion is required to grant sustained growth of 8% over the next decade.
India needs reform and kill bureaucracy to attract more FDI, lift 280 million out of poverty and some 400+ million have to learn to read and write and provide drinking water and electricity throughout the country.

Untill then India is just another third world country with an emerging economy.

 

[ST1976]

Bull,

I'm quite well informed about India's economic progress and is been impressive for the last decade.

But much more is needed to become a super power. Despite strong industrial growth Indian economy is basically agri-based and growth in this sector anything but impressive.

Internet warriors keep talking about India as superpower but superpoer of what??

Infrastructe needs overhauling, $320 billion is required to grant sustained growth of 8% over the next decade.

India needs reform and kill bureaucracy to attract more FDI, lift 280 million out of poverty and some 400+ million have to learn to read and write and provide drinking water and electricity throughout the country.

Untill then India is just another third world country with an emerging economy.

good comment. u wuld post this on WAB. no matter how much country like India and china (specially india) register growth, it cant be said to be good if people below poverty line dont get benefit of that. india is a different thing, even there is a big gap between per capita income of even middle order country like malaysia and china. US is far away from them. only US can be said to be superpower, no other country.

 

[Neo]

Despite a growing middle class Indian poor are in a desperate state, thousands of farmers commit sueside every month coz they can't pay back small loans, as small as $300 and the contrast between the rich and the poor will continue to grow.
India, after China is the second fastest growing economy is the world and progress can be seen throughout the country.
But we need to stay focussed, take one step at a time.
Chinese economy and wealth is three times the size of India yet we never see China promote itself as super power.
India should learn from Beijing.

 

[Neo]

China started to reform in the early eitghties and recorder consicutive double digit growth for over two decades and it continues to grow.
The key factor of the success behind the state controlled economy is the fact that China has the means and political will to deliver despite being a semi-communist country. Its not a super power yet but a true economic powerhouse well on track to claim her place as a superpower within next two decades.
India has just started to reform and seen significant sustained growth from mid nineties.

If she wants to grow in double digits, three defined area's should be looked into:
-Infrastructure
-Power supply
-Economic reforms

Inflation is well controlled but could start to rise if domestic demand for consumer goods aswell as some luxury items is not met properly. This only will result in rise in imports which is already growing faster than ever.

Doing business in India should become cheaper with less hurdles. Compared to its size India is receiving little FDI and often loses the competition to more expensive economies like Thailand ot Malaysia when it comes to attracting multinationals.

There's huge perspective of growth in India but her policies suck!!!

 

[ST1976]

Despite a growing middle class Indian poor are in a desperate state, thousands of farmers commit sueside every month coz they can't pay back small loans, as small as $300 and the contrast between the rich and the poor will continue to grow.
India, after China is the second fastest growing economy is the world and progress can be seen throughout the country.
But we need to stay focussed, take one step at a time.
Chinese economy and wealth is three times the size of India yet we never see China promote itself as super power.
India should learn from Beijing.

about india, total population of india at the time of freedom was around 290million (with 2% rich and 98% poors with no middle class). and now total number of middle class of india is around 300million with average salary of around $10,000 on PPP which is similar to country like malaysia. there was a progress in last 50 years and india was successful in improving living standard of a big proportion of the indian population, without any God gift of resources like oil. but this was growing population which was responsible for hiding the overall growth. and whenever any government tried to make any hard rule to check growing population, too many politics specially for the votes of minorities.

not thousands but yes hundreds of farmers have committed suicide in india. but I’m sure you must be having information that gap between rich and poor is widening in china with more speed than that of India. and about suicide of formers, everyone can know what’s happening in india. fully democratic country. even if something happens somewhere among 1100million population, whole world can know. but no one knows whats really happening in china. how many people these communists kill, no one knows. you might be knowing, Mao Zedong who is well known as founder of modern china, was responsible for more than 70 milion famine deaths as he wanted to see development at any cost. everyone knows how they made development and controlled population. it is still believed that total population of china is around 1.5bn but official data shows just 1.3bn becoz of one child policy. china, who is also among the top ranked corrupt countries, has nothing much to proud. development on gun point can't be appreciated. india will also make infrastructure, already making, but in a decent way. wait for 10-12 years, you will get information about how many thousands of chinese farmers committed suicide during 2000-2020. because if gap between rich and poor are widening in china with more speed than india, then there must be more suicide cases in china than that of india.
http://www.time.com/time/asia/magazine/article/0,13673,501050613-1069136,00.html

one more example here, three people were found guilty of attacking on even parliamentmof india. only one was punished with death sentence but it is still under consideration. some people of kashmir, like Hurriyat, comment wrong about the nation also but still they have full protection from government. and if you compare india with pakistan, just few months before air force of pakistan did bombardment to kill 80 years old separatist leader of baluchistan. there is a difference between a democratic country with a communist or dictatorship.

growing economy of india is making availability of money inside the country. people of all the levels will get benefit of that. it took 50 years to convert 290million population of india into middle class, but it wont take more than 30-40 years to change whole population into middle class. recent survey says india is adding around 20million middle class every year and the is likely to increase in future. nothing change overnight. you might be thinking people are dieing in India but if you have a look on Bangladesh (former East Pakistan), people are dieing crying to come to india and even playing with their life on the border to come this side. changes has been made in India, it is just time dependent.

 

[Bull]

Bull,

I'm quite well informed about India's economic progress and is been impressive for the last decade.
But much more is needed to become a super power. Despite strong industrial growth Indian economy is basically agri-based and growth in this sector anything but impressive.
Internet warriors keep talking about India as superpower but superpoer of what??
Infrastructe needs overhauling, $320 billion is required to grant sustained growth of 8% over the next decade.
India needs reform and kill bureaucracy to attract more FDI, lift 280 million out of poverty and some 400+ million have to learn to read and write and provide drinking water and electricity throughout the country.

Untill then India is just another third world country with an emerging economy.

We need $320bn to get a growth of 10% and not 8%.

I didnt say we want to be a world power,what u said are exactly my worries.

My reply in the previous post was a reply to your comment that we are "just a global back office".