PONDA: Living without basic necessities like power, water, and toilets seems unimaginable, but for the slum dwellers of Shapur Bandora in Ponda, it’s a stark reality. Around 31 families residing in 31 huts have been enduring a miserable existence without these essential amenities for the past seven decades. Situated near the historic Safa Masjid close to the KTC Bus stand in Ponda, these slum dwellers, while being near society, live in isolation, struggling for basic needs.
Despite having documents like Ration cards, Election ID cards, and Aadhaar cards, they face numerous challenges in obtaining basic facilities due to the lack of land ownership documents and the area’s status under the Archaeological Survey of India. Unable to renovate or repair their homes, they continue to live with metal or cement sheet roofs, enduring leakages during monsoons and relying on kerosene lamps or vehicle batteries for light.
The absence of proper shelter, toilets, and water connections exacerbates their hardships. They share a single public tap located 300 metres away, with queues forming to fill
utensils. The government had provided them with a community toilet, again 300 metres away, which makes it particularly difficult for women and children at night.
Waste water from their huts flows around the area, leading to unhygienic conditions and mosquito infestations at night. Children suffer the most and get sick quite often. Sophia, a disabled girl living in the slum says she faces particularly challenging circumstances on a daily basis.
Mumtaj and Dilshad, two married women in their late forties, said they were born here and have spent their entire lives in squalor, hoping things would get better. “Now it feels like even our children will continue to endure hardships for the want of basic needs in the settlement,” they say.
Despite being daily wage earners, affording better living conditions remains out of reach due to high rental costs. The youth, who attend nearby schools but long for improved living standards, aspire for a better life for their children. With the slum surrounded by the historic Safa Masjid and a military camp, the situation is exacerbated by legal battles over land ownership.
While the Bandora Sarpanch Sukanand Kurpaskar acknowledged the situation, he said the panchayat’s efforts for slum dwellers’
welfare have been hampered by legal challenges. The slum hutments are illegal, he said, and the owner of the land has filed a petition in court, and the matter remains sub judice.
