BMC 650, Sunder Kamala Nagar, a small shanty just six feet by eight feet - a modest 48 square feet - was my home address for over 20 years. I was born and brought up there.
Sunder Kamala Nagar (SKN) is a slum spread over 10 acres, next to King's Circle railway station in Mumbai. My father 'bought' his 48 square feet there from the local slum mafia for Rs 300 in 1975. Our family of six, migrated from Ratnagiri to Mumbai (then Bombay), where my father worked as a helper at an electronics dealership in Chinchpokli.
Welcome To Sunder Kamala Nagar, My Home
Back then, Sunder Kamala Nagar was a wasteland with just a few shanties along the local Harbour Line railway tracks. As it expanded over the years, the shanties, originally made out of metal sheets, gradually became permanent structures with brick walls.
Like most Mumbai slums, the residents of Sunder Kamala Nagar organise themselves into groups called mandals, each with around 80 to 100 households. Today there are more than 30 mandals in Sunder Kamala Nagar. Our family was a part of the Tarun Mitra Mandal, which now has nearly 140 members.
The mandals foster a sense of community and unity, bringing residents together especially when they need to deal with civic authorities like the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), or, as in the case of SKN, the Railway Authority. The mandals also often work collectively to push for improvements in sanitation and other facilities for the residents.
'Mitra Mandals' - Lifelines Of A Slum
Vithal Bhostekar was our neighbour at SKN for years. Working at a decoration contractor's office in Matunga, he also served as the secretary of our Tarun Mitra Mandal for several years, an active participant in SKN's social and political life. Married, with three daughters and a son, Vithal has spent his entire life here.
When asked about the development of the slum, he shared his bitter experience. He said, "As secretary, I used to visit the BMC and other government offices regularly. We knew that our area fell under the railway authority, but we still managed to survive. Over time, we secured electricity, water connections, and public toilets for the people.
"In the last 50 years, we've heard about redevelopment, but nothing has happened to date. Our houses were surveyed, and they even numbered them, but nothing progressed beyond that. My daughters, some of whom are married now, have moved out. But I am still here, waiting for redevelopment."
Dharavi Gets Development, What About SKN?
Vithal adds, "We've heard about the Dharavi Development Plan. Dharavi is just 800 meters away from us. While there are several issues with it, at least something positive is happening in terms of development. Now, our next generation is anxious and insecure about their future here at Sunder Kamala Nagar. They feel their dream of development will never come true."
Over the decades, SKN has become a sought-after location despite being a slum. When my family first got here, I remember we had to fetch water from outside. The BMC first provided a public water connection and electricity only in the late 1980s. Households started getting individual water connections in the early 1990s.
Most SKN residents were daily wage workers back then, migrants from other parts of Maharashtra. Our Tarun Mitra Mandal had migrants from the districts of Ratnagiri, Raigad, and Sindhudurg. Most were either related to each other, or from the same village. Even today, the men mostly work as helpers, daily wagers, or at best, office clerks. Women still work as domestic helpers. Almost everyone works in the nearby Matunga area.
Land Ownership, A Key Hurdle
Vithal says those who have lived in SKN for decades deserve better. The former Tarun Mitra Mandal office bearer points out that a key hurdle is land ownership. Land near the railway tracks is under the railway authority, but a major portion of SKN land also belongs to the state government. Apart from that, he says BMC officials have also identified this area as a green zone.
"To this day, we don't know the exact status of our land is. We don't know what other issues are there, but for us, lack of development remains the primary concern," he said.
"Dharavi is denser than our Sunder Kamala Nagar and more complex, especially due to the industries there. Our area is not as complicated as Dharavi. But because we are stuck in land ownership disputes between the railway authorities and the state government, I think redevelopment will remain a dream for us."
Over time, SKN residents also formed cooperative housing groups to lobby for development with the authorities. But due to lack of unity within these groups, they have not succeeded. Vithal says, "Many have sold their homes and moved out to distant suburbs like Virar, Panvel, and Ambernath. This has led to problems with residency records as well."
Redevelopment, A Distant Dream For SKN
Vinod Dasavate, was our immediate neighbour, working as an executive in a private company. He says, "Since childhood, we've heard about redevelopment schemes. My grandfather moved here with the family, and I was born here with my siblings. Every two years, we hear that a new development scheme is coming. They survey our homes, but we are left waiting to see the dream. In the last 30 years, this has been a recurring pattern."
Vinod adds, "For three decades, we dreamed of a decent home in a redeveloped building with basic facilities at least. We're not asking for a large house, just a safe and comfortable place where the community can live peacefully. Yet every time, we end up waiting for the next promise."
Veteran residents are more restless now, because they have heard about the Dharavi Development Scheme, where the survey of the residents and homes has started. Vinod says, "With the government being proactive about that project, we're confident that the residents of Dharavi will finally get proper housing. However, we're still anxious about our own future. For now, we just keep our fingers crossed."
Many Schemes, Little Success
Mumbai's slum dwellers first heard of a development scheme in 1976 when the Congress government launched the Slum Improvement Plan (SIP). This led to water connections and some upgrades in sanitation facilities. Then came the Slum Development Scheme (SDS) in the late 1980s, which raised a few hopes, but not much changed.
By the time the Shiv Sena-BJP alliance came to power in Maharashtra in 1995, Sunder Kamala Nagar had experienced the Mumbai riots and the 1993 Mumbai bomb blasts. While nearby Dharavi saw a lot of violence, SKN despite its mixed population - 60% Hindu, 40% Muslim - remained peaceful during the riots and in their aftermath as well.
The Shiv Sena-BJP alliance introduced the Slum Redevelopment Scheme under the Slum Redevelopment Authority (SRA). For the first time, residents of Sunder Kamala Nagar began dreaming of redevelopment, envisioning homes of around 160 square feet. But again, not much happened on the ground.
With the recent announcement of the Master Plan of the Dharavi Development Project, the residents of Sunder Kamala Nagar are now feeling anxious and uncertain about the future of their homes.
