The G20 summit and the allied meetings India has been hoisting for the past year saw participation of delegates in various meetings, in various cities of India. Some cities however also saw rudimentary attempts by the city administration to beautify them, by covering up some slums with curtains.[1] This article is about those curtains; not the G20.
The G20 is merely one of the many summits where a city will be visited by a powerful foreign dignitary. Given the missing organisational structure and a powerful voice, the grouping’s importance and importance of its presidency being not what the government had made it out to be, a discussion of G20 can wait. Let us talk about the curtains.
Imagine a kid playing in her neighbourhood in a bustling city sees a curtain or a green sheet covering their neighbourhood in a way that the commuters on the main road cannot see it. When she asks the elders, the elders say that the curtains are being put so that the dignitaries do not have to see the slum. What kind of questions would rise in her mind? What kind of assumptions or conclusions would she make about the entire happenings? We will never know because the city never cared to ask her. It is doubtful whether the city even sees the kid or not. By choosing to ignore the kid, the city somehow becomes apathetic to a significant part of itself. The state makes the city apathetic to a part of itself. This apathy manifests itself in many ways, apart from the curtains.
Ever wondered why the average bench, at a bus stop, in a city has become narrower? It is as if they are almost designed to make one stand while waiting for the bus, but one is too busy to notice the change. A large section of our people that would, however, notice the un-usability of the benches would be the Homeless who have traditionally used public spaces to sleep at night. In Mumbai, flower beds on the street outside many buildings and bungalows had pointy granite stones embedded in the concrete; the surfaces of concrete parapets around the trees on the street bristle with sharp pebbles to prevent anyone from loitering in the shade.[2] This kind of design of public spaces is called Hostile Design. Hostile Design has been used to control or restrict behaviour of people, in public spaces. Hostile Design is one of the many components of how cities are being run, maintained, and perceived today.
Let us take another example of Roads and Footpaths. Has there been any focus or emphasis from governments across the country, to ensure footpaths and public transport, as strong as the push to build “better” roads/flyovers? In most Indian Cities, 20-40% of the work trips happen as Pedestrian trips and yet, footpaths and other such pedestrian facilities are never the newsmakers or markers whenever they are inaugurated.[3] Within this section of people who walk to work, a higher percentage are women.[4]
State power and the urban poor
Issues with public transport, public space architecture, and the apathy towards those living in temporary settlements or slums are part of a systemic issue of how the state and the ruling classes perceive the poor.
From the 2000s to now, the dignity of the poor has been taken away from them, in the name of beautification and presenting a ‘good image’ of India to the outside world. Prof Amita Baviskar argues that spectacular events require massive social and spatial transformations of dubious economic and social value which otherwise would be difficult to achieve if not for the setting aside of normal procedures processes by speedy processes. What does this mean? If the government were to cover up slums or any dwelling settlements during “normal time” (non –G-20 times for instance), there would be a furore, and there would be much opposition to the act.
However, the acceptance of this act, during an event such as the G20 or a visit by a foreign dignitary; or a special event like the Commonwealth games, is easily obtained from the rest of the city. This acceptance and the swiftness, argues Baviskar, is enabled by promoting the belief that “national prestige and status” is at stake and by the idea that cities should compete for recognition, in the globalised world.[5]
In 2000, under the NDA I government, when the then President of the United States of America Bill Clinton visited Hyderabad, all the beggars in the city were rounded up and hoarded into homes where beggars complained of ill treatment.[6]
During the Commonwealth Games too (UPA-II governed then), the discussion was about how hosting the Games represents the coming of age of India as a super-power and Delhi as a ‘world-class’ city. In 2010, the city of Delhi saw massive slum clearance operation before the Commonwealth games.[7] This kind of beautification been done for the G20 summit too by using the prestige of the nation as an excuse to deny people of their dignity. In 2020, many efforts were taken by the Ahmedabad city authorities to hide a slum from former President of the USA Donald Trump while he was on a visit.[8]
The urban poor came and continue to come to the cities in search of work and they do find work but in a low wage market. This, combined with the fact that price of housing in mega cities is always sky high, made them settle on land that is not theirs.[9] The urban poor who resides in slum like settlements might not have all the necessary utilities such as water, sanitation, and electricity. This means that they are required to deliver what the city asks them without having to cater to their needs fairly or properly. Since that is not possible, they are excluded from the cityscape in all possible ways except their physical presence. Not only do they work in places where their voices are of little importance, but they also end up being negligible political actors. The urban poor, despite living in the city, are often also dubbed “illegal squatters” or occupants of government land. Once they get these tags, they are excluded from the economic, social, political and cultural spheres of the city, thus broadening the divide between them and those who claim the city. Once this exclusion and divide is large enough, the city does not care as to what happens to them-whether it be covering their houses with curtains or demolishing their houses. This cycle of exclusion continues and the people who are excluded become more excluded.
The demolition of houses we see regularly in news, across cities is also a result of the apathy that the state has built over time, for the poor. Additionally, the state also claims legitimacy from different sections of the society by land it gets after it demolishes the slums. After all, only a powerful institution could make all those people living in a slum homeless and still get away with it.
What do we do, then?
The right to live with Human dignity is within the Right to Life and Personal liberty under Article 21 of the Constitution as declared by the Supreme Court in the case of Maneka Gandhi vs. Union of India. In Francis Coraile vs. The Administrator, Union Territory of Delhi, the Supreme Court held that the right to life includes right to live with Human Dignity and all that goes along with it, namely clothing, shelter and facilities for reading, writing, and expressing oneself in diverse forms, freely moving about and mixing and commingling with fellow human beings. The court stated as follows:
“Every act which offends against or impairs human dignity would constitute deprivation pro tanto of this right to live and it would have to be in accordance with reasonable, fair and just procedure established by law which stands the test of other fundamental rights. Therefore, any form of torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment would be offensive to human dignity and constitute an inroad into this right to live and it would, on this view, be prohibited by Article 21 unless it is in accordance with procedure prescribed by law, but no law which authorises and no procedure which leads to such torture or cruelty, inhuman or degrading treatment can ever stand the test of reasonableness and non-arbitrariness: it would plainly be unconstitutional and void as being violative of Article 14 and 21.” (emphasis supplied)
This dignity cannot just come from giving the people who are living in occupied lands, in slums, some title deeds i.e., ownership of the land. The government would still cover up their neighbourhoods in the next G20 or whichever event the country hosts next instead of bettering the slums or making sure that the city authorities make ample plans for the migrants coming into the city. The solution is also not one pronged; it must be holistic. The solution should not be derived from mere discussion by the city authorities or the governments, within themselves.
The solution, for it to be holistic and work, has to come from an inclusive process that gives the urban poor the same seat at the table as has been given to other classes. In social, political, and cultural spaces too, the people living in slums should be included so that the practices followed by the authorities are not invalidating of the dignity of the poor. This would mean that there will be voices advocating for better transport facilities from areas or to such areas in the city that were not covered before.
A better participation of the urban poor in social sphere would mean that there would be objection to administration putting up green curtains around the slums even during G20. An equal seat at the table mean that the urban poor can advocate for a decent park or a playground for its children to play and thrive. And if the state still tries to impose its unfair conditions, the urban poor will be much more poised to deal with the State, whether that be in judicial forums or via other democratic means.
Only with inclusion of different groups into the processes that govern the city, can there be a bond between different social groups and only with such bonds can communities be built with empathy for each other.
This inclusion of urban poor in the governance of cities, in all spheres should not take away the discussion completely from the fact that they will continue to face problems as long as the government talks in market language when it comes to housing and other rights of its citizens and defers plans for welfare in the name of lack of investment; or as long as private profit is prioritised over public welfare.
(The author is a legal researcher with the organisation)
[1] Hassan, A., & Ellis-Petersen, H. (2023, September 8). ‘Ashamed of our presence’: Delhi glosses over plight of poor as it rolls out G20 red carpet. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/sep/08/ashamed-of-our-presence-delhi-glosses-over-plight-of-poor-as-it-rolls-out-g20-red-carpet
[2] Date, V. (2018, April 1). HDFC spikes: Mumbai’s tony Pali Hill also uses hostile design to deter workers, hawkers from sitting. Scroll.In. https://scroll.in/article/873947/hdfc-spikes-mumbais-tony-pali-hill-also-uses-hostile-design-to-deter-workers-hawkers-from-sitting
[3] Jha, A., Tiwari, G., Mohan, D., & Banerjee, S. (2017, January 1). Analysis of Pedestrian Movement on Delhi Roads by Using Naturalistic Observation Techniques. SAGE. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/315988449_Analysis_of_Pedestrian_Movement_on_Delhi_Roads_by_Using_Naturalistic_Observation_Techniques
[4] Tiwari, G. (2022, June 15). Walking in Indian Cities – A Daily Agony for Millions. The Hindu Centre. https://www.thehinducentre.com/the-arena/current-issues/walking-in-indian-cities-a-daily-agony-for-millions/article65551959.ece#one1
[5] Baviskar, A. (2013). “Spectacular Events, City Spaces and Citizenship: The Commonwealth Games in Delhi” In Jonathan Shapiro Anjaria & Colin McFarlane (Eds.), Urban Navigations Politics, Space and the City in South Asia. Routledge India. https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9780203085332-7/spectacular-events-city-spaces-citizenship-commonwealth-games-delhi-amita-baviskar
[6] RADHAKRISHNA, F. G. S. (2000, March 23). HOARDINGS HIDE PLIGHT OF BEGGARS. Telegraph India. https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/hoardings-hide-plight-of-beggars/cid/902196
[7] Suri. P (2010, March 25). Poor lose homes as Delhi cleans up. Al Jazeera. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2010/3/25/poor-lose-homes-as-delhi-cleans-up
[8] The Wire. (2020, February 13). A Wall Is Being Built in Ahmedabad to Block a Slum From Donald Trump’s View. The Wire. https://thewire.in/government/gujarat-ahmedabad-slum-wall-donald-trump
[9] Neuwirth, R. (2005). Shadow Cities. Routledge. https://www.routledge.com/Shadow-Cities-A-Billion-Squatters-A-New-Urban-World/Neuwirth/p/book/9780415953610
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