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January 2013 – Anand Niwas Final Report
PROJECT ANAND NIWAS
SOCIAL HOUSING FOR DIFFERENLY ABLED PEOPLE
“SAVDA GHEVRA” DELHI.
In partnership with CREDAI NCR
FINAL REPORT
SAVDA GHEVRA - DELHI
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January 2013 – Anand Niwas Final Report
CONTENTS
1. Introduction
2. The beneficiary families – a short history
3. Securing land tenure
4. Early stages of the project
5. The help of volunteer teams
6. Completion
7. Family stories / case studies
8. Thanks
Annexure 1. Pre-post photographs
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1. Introduction
The Anand Niwas project in the slum relocation colony of Savda Ghevra, West Delhi (now almost completed1) was a
project to provide decent and secure housing for 19 families, who were previously homeless and destitute and living
on the streets of South Delhi. At least one member of each of the families is differently abled.
This unique project was a partnership between Habitat for Humanity India (HFH India), the Madhok Foundation and
the Delhi National Capital Region (NCR) Chapter of the Confederation of Real Estate Developers Association of India
(CREDAI).
In this project HFH India were the construction / implementing partner, the Madhok Foundation were the grassroots
/ community partner and CREDAI was the finance partner i.e. the donor for the majority of the houses in the project.
Due to the poverty of the families involved and their status as ‘differently abled’, this was a grant project and the full
cost of the 19 CREDAI supported houses was borne by CREDAI members (see Annexure 4 for the full details).
This project would not have been possible without the professional and financial support of CREDAI NCR officials
especially Mr. Pankaj Bajai, President CREDAI NCR and Mr.Rohit Raj Modi, Secretary, CREDAI NCR and Mr. Sushant
Gupta.
HFHI also thank all the members of CREDAI NCR for sponsoring these houses.
Sincerely
Justin Jebakumar, Director
Habitat for Humanity, Delhi
1 The houses are completed apart from the final top coat of external paint and a few fixtures. The project will be 100% complete by the end of
January 2013. The families are currently in possession of their properties.
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2. The beneficiary families – a short history
During the peak winter month of January 2009, a ‘clean-up campaign’ or ‘slum demolition drive’ of the Municipal
Corporation of Delhi (MCD) demolished the make-shift homes (shanties/ juggies) of a large number of differently
abled families living behind Nehru Stadium in South Delhi. The families had been living in that location for many
years. These actions were taken on the basis that the land was required for building infrastructure and facilities for
the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games. Other similar demolitions and evictions were happening at this time all over
the city. Sadly, the families were rendered homeless and were left without any shelter despite the repeated
assurances of the government and the elected representatives that they would not be shifted without them being
allotting an alternative site. Almost 100 families including those with new born babies and senior parents were left
without shelter and in a helpless state in the bitter winter months with nowhere to go and very dismal prospects for
their future.
There are many differently abled people living on Delhi’s streets and it is commonly assumed that they do nothing
but beg for a living. But this is not accurate and it was certainly not the whole picture for this particular group of
families. Although they did benefit from money they received from motorists, passersby and visitors to local temples
in the Lodi Road area, many were also employed as tailors, rag pickers, or phone kiosk operators with special quotas
of the Mahanagar Telephone Nigram Limited (MTNL). However due to their displacement many were unable to
continue with their work.
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3. Securing land tenure
The Madhok Foundation, a Delhi based NGO under the Directorship of Mrs. Alaka Madhok took up the cause of the
differently abled families.2 Through its various community development projects in the city, the Madhok Foundation
had been working with this group for some years and it was through the sterling advocacy efforts of Mrs. Madhok
that a breakthrough was achieved. Seeking permanent, legal titles/plots for the families, Mrs. Madhok lobbied the
appropriate authorities and in particular the Lt. Governor of Delhi, Mr.Tejinder Khanna. After much time and effort
and
coming
and going
between
various
offices
and
governme
nt
departme
nts, the
Lt.
Governor
agreed to
allowed
allocation
s and
small
plots of land were allotted in Savda Ghevra, a slum relocation area far to the west on the outskirts of Delhi (see map
below).
Google map of Delhi, showing Savda Ghevra marked with an A and in yellow circle.
2 Of the approximately 100 families displaced from the Nehru stadium slum, the Madhok Foundation managed to secure legal plots for about 40. It is working
towards helping the others secure land, but it is a difficult and time consuming process. This CDEDAI NCR funded Anand Niwas project has build houses for 19 of
these families and other families have received funding to build from other organisations e.g. HDFC Bank.
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With the formal
allocation of plots
the displaced
families now had
some hope of a secure place to live, where they could try to reclaim a life of dignity and self respect for themselves
and their children. However, whilst they had a small plot of land on which to build a house, they had no money with
which to build and no chance of getting a loan from any bank or lending institution. It was to solve the problem of
actually getting the houses built and the funding required for this that the Madhok Foundation contacted HFH India.
4. Early stages of the project
The early stages of the project saw joint working between the Madhok Foundation and the Delhi office of HFH India
to finalize the land tenure issues, conduct baseline surveys, survey the site, and (importantly) secure funding from a
donor. As soon as the beneficiaries had their papers they had to occupy the plots taking with them the plastics
sheets and other material they had been using to shelter on the streets (see pictures below).
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As per the norm in Delhi’s resettlement colonies, the allocated plots were very small at only 135 sq. ft. Beneficiary
families were consulted as to their requirements and as far as is possible houses were designed to be suited to the
particular needs of differently abled family member or members.
The 27 houses were designed as follows:
- Solid
foundation
and brick /
concrete
walls
engineered
to be
strong
enough to
support
further
floors.
- Private downstairs toilet connected to under floor cement lined septic tank.
- Main living room / small kitchen area.
- Internal stairs with mumty covering to open first floor terrace with parapet.
- Reinforced concrete roof.
- Strong steel doors and windows.
- Electricity connection
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By March 2012 the foundations were well under way (see
pictures above).
5. The help of volunteer teams
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Habitat for Humanity as an organisation is well known all over the world for its utilization of teams of willing
volunteers to help build its houses. This unskilled supervised labour serves to reduce build costs and makes the
houses more affordable to low income groups. Between March 2012 and January 2013 a number of local (Delhi
based) teams visited the Anand Niwas project site, to meet the families and offer their time and labour to help
construct the houses. The details are given in full below:
���� 12th
May 2012 – Youth Build
Over 100 volunteers came to build as part of a major Asia Pacific campaign called ‘Youth Build 2012’. The following
teams were represented: The Delhi Bikers Breakfast Run, Bloomberg, Whirlpool, a mixed International team and the
Madhok Foundation volunteers (see pictures below).The event was inaugurated by Mrs. Mehra Kerpelman Director
of the United Nations Information Centre for India and Bhutan (UNIC) (see picture right).
���� Staff from the US Embassy in Delhi
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On Tuesday 11th
September 2012, 17 staff from the US Embassy in Delhi came to paint and whitewash 4 of the newly
built houses (see pictures below).
����
Millward Brown
On Friday 21st
September 2012, a large and enthusiastic team of 40 volunteers from Millward Brown painted and
whitewashed a large number of the Anand Niwas houses (see pictures below).
���� 1st
October 2012 World Habitat Day
World Habitat Day is celebrated every year in countries all round the world and is promoted by UN HABITAT (the
UN’s Human Settlements Programme). On 1st
October staff from HFH India office, and residents of Savda Ghevra met
at the site and planted trees and shrubs (see pictures below).
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6. Completion
Essentially the project was completed by November 2012. This was when the families moved in and coincidentally
when the weather in Delhi starts to get colder and when people really need the protection of a roof and 4 solid
walls. The project was on time and on budget and all that remains are a few finishing exterior touches and formal
inaugurations which are being planned.
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7. Family stories / case studies
►Ataur Rahman (wife) house owner and Ajab Ali (husband)
Interview conducted 16.1.2013 outside their new
property – Number 0547.
The couple has 5 children, none of whom live with them. Some of the
children are staying with grandparents in the village or elsewhere.
Ajab is differently abled; effectively he has no use of either of his legs. He
has to use a wheeled chair to get around.
They lived in a slum colony close to Nehru stadium in south Delhi for 12
years. They were evicted with no alternative housing site provided.
They lived on pavements for 4 years in the Lodi Road area – in a back
gully close to the Sai Baba Temple. Ajab worked selling items from a
small stall.
They never really considered that they could own their own house or
have a decent and secure place to live. It was only the intervention and
work of Mrs. Alaka Madhok of The Madhok Foundation who gave them
any hope of getting off the streets. She helped 40 to 50 homeless
differently abled families get access to legal land plots.
According to Ataur and Ajab like many resettlement colonies in Delhi,
there are problems in Savda Ghevra – mostly to do with
sanitation/drainage, the provision of water and livelihood options. But
they are pleased with their new house, it is good and solid and they hope
that they can extend up a floor in the future once they have saved
enough money. They are grateful to the donors and organizations that
have helped them.
Having a permanent, legal address has really helped in terms of getting government entitlements such as a ration cards and also a legal
electricity connection.
According to Ataur and Ajab Savda Ghevra is remote but it has a good market and the local school is ok. They can get a shared tempo to the
main road for 10 Rupees and from there are buses that go into central and south Delhi where they still have roots and social connections.
The new house has given a new status as a home owner with a permanent address.
►Dilip Tanti (husband) of Meena Devi (wife) and house owner
Interview conducted 16.1.2013 outside their new property – Number 0575.
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The couple has 2 children, 1 boy and 1 girl.
Dilip is differently abled; both legs are amputated above the knee. He relies on a wheeled chair for his general mobility.
They lived for 12 years in the Nehru stadium slum colony in south Delhi. They were part of a strong and close knit community and the eviction
was very hard given that the government (despite promises) provided no alternative housing site.
Like many other families in their slum they stayed in the same Lodi Road location and they lived for 4 years close to the Sai Baba Temple.
They never dreamed that they could own their own house at some point in the future. Mrs. Alaka Madhok of the Madhok Foundation was the
only one who helped them and she did this consistently over many years.
Dilip used to have a job as a cigarette vendor, but he is unable to find this sort of work anymore.
Dilip makes clear that despite the challenges in Savda Ghevra, life is better and safer with a good house. He is satisfied with the house and with
the work of all the organizations involved in providing it. Having the use of the personal toilet is very good because the local toilet blocks have
been locked for over 2 months and people have to use open ground here and there.
Having a permanent, legal address has helped in terms of them being able to receive government benefits for poor families.
The new house has given Dilip a new status, certainly a higher status than he and his family had when they were homeless and living on the
streets.
►Hamid Begum (husband) of Hasina Begum
(wife) and house owner
Interview conducted 16.1.2013 outside their
property – Number 0580.
The couple has 4 girls.
Hasina is partially sighted, as are quite a few of their community.
They lived in the Nehru stadium slum for 12 years and were an
integral part of that differently abled community, before the
evictions and the scattering of the families.
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They lived on the streets for about 4 years and Hamid commented that the bitter winters in the open were particularly hard for the family. But
they had nowhere to go.
Mrs. Alaka Madhok was the only one who helped them and she gave them some hope of getting some land from the government –
somewhere safe and legal to live.
The new house is small but it is very good and they hope to extend in the future if finances allow. The inbuilt toilet has been very useful and
the septic tank system is working well.
They offer their thanks to the donors, organizations and individuals who have helped them. They hope that more people in their position can
be helped to have decent housing.
The house has brought a new dignity and status that was not there before. Having a legal and permanent address is very useful.
8. Thanks
There are many people that need to be thanked for making this remarkable project possible and for providing many
poor differently abled families in Delhi with a decent and secure home in which to live.
Special thanks go to:
▪ Mrs. Alaka Madhok and the Madhok Foundation and all associated with the organization.
▪ Mr.Tejinder Khanna the Lt. Governor of Delhi.
▪ The very generous principal donors - members of CREDAI (NCR).
▪ All at HFH India.
▪ Mr. Jovial Vaghela and his team.
▪ All the various teams of volunteers.
▪ All of the families involved.
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ANNEXURES
Annexure 1: Pre & post photographs
Before (pre-project)
Before (pre-project)
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Before (pre-project)
2012
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REPORT END
