No lease of life for these ragpickers

Pick and live

As many as 22 families, all essentially ragpickers, have been living in these shacks for more than three decades.

In each of the shacks, which are reminiscent of hell holes, as many as five to six people live a cramped existence, along with dogs and mosquitoes that also share the floor space with humans. These tiny crude shelters houses both kitchen as well as bathroom. Walls of the shanty are so weak that they can crumble any moment.

Unable to secure permanent roofs over their heads, the ragpickers have used plastic sheets, cloth and other waste materials  to construct dwellings that in no way seem habitable.

All, including children, are engaged in ragpicking and they are solely dependent on the income it generates. It is saddening that for the past 30 years they have been living without basic amenities.

“ It looks like our fate cannot be changed for the better. All the promises that are made during elections, such as houses, sustainable employment and enrollment in schools for our children, are forgotten once the leaders come to power. All seems a farce,” rues Gangadhar, a rag picker.

“ We were delighted to know that sheds were constructed near Kandavara for the homeless. However, we were not allowed to occupy them, as we were told that the sheds were meant for inhabitants of Basappa Chhatra alone. Hence, we had to return with empty hands, unkept promises and shattered dreams,” he added.

“Moreover, the future of our children without education seems bleak. With the money that we earn everyday by collecting, segregating and selling  trash we can barely survive, leave alone send our children to schools,” Gangadhar explained.

With no flicker of hope and break from the vicious circle of want and degradation, it is a life on the brink for these rag pickers.