Sanjay Colony Lok Raj Samiti organises public meeting to intensify the campaign.
The “Struggle for Rights” campaign achieved a major victory with Delhi government forced to promise Jal Board water connection to all household irrespective of the type and status of locality. The Sanjay colony Lok Raj Samiti organised a public meeting on 11 September 2016 to take stock of the situation, publicize this victory and intensify the campaign to take it to its logical conclusion. It may be noted that Lok Raj Sangathan had organised a massive demonstration to the Parliament on 27 July 2016, demanding Jal Board water connection for every household as a matter of fundamental right. People from various localities across the city and the national capital region participated in the rally. The campaign for water is supported by various parties and groups including Communist Ghadar Party of India, CPI, Naya Daur Party, Citizens for Democracy, Popular Front of India, Welfare Party of India and others. On 28 August the Delhi government declared that it would provide piped water connection.
Coordinating the proceedings of the public meeting Lokesh Kumar, Secretary, Sanjay Colony Lok Raj Samiti, spoke of the sustained campaign carried out by Lok Raj Sangathan, in which Sanjay Colony Lok Raj Samiti played an important role. He stressed that it was through sheer struggle and determination of the people of Sanjay Colony that toilet facilities were built in the locality. Earlier the women in the locality had to go through the shameful experience of going for defecation in open spaces facing risk of molestations. Mocking those who call these colonies illegal, etc., he questioned when the government formed by the votes of people living in such colonies is legal, how can their lives and colonies be illegal. Sanjay Colony Lok Raj Samiti has been at the forefront of struggle for the rights of the people.
Bijju Nayak, Secretary of Delhi Council of Lok Raj Sangathan elaborated on various stages that the struggle for providing piped water connection has gone through, the current status and the struggle forward. He said that our struggle is based on sound evidence and investigation of various provisions of law and constitutions. Referring to the landmark judgment of Mumbai High Court, he said that the court declared that a government cannot deny water to anybody, irrespective of the legal status of the locality and it is duty bound to provide water to every citizen. It is a fundamental right under the right to life, as enshrined in the Constitution. He further said that the current declaration by the Delhi government is still a scheme and has not become a policy decision, and hence can be overturned any time. We need legal right over safe water supply and not some freebie or a favour in the form of free water tankers. We are ready to pay the price for the connection. So we have to intensify our struggle to convert this policy decision to practice and force the government to implement it through our struggle.
Santosh Kumar of Madanpur Khadar Lok Raj Samiti, said that this is not a struggle of only the people of Sanjay Colony, but of all people of Delhi and the country. Be it strike of workers on 2 September, or the struggle for water, they are all connected. He described the struggle waged by the people living in Madanpur Khadar Resettlement Colony.
Hundreds of people from the locality, signed on a petition demanding piped water connection in every house. The public meeting concluded with a resolve to intensify the struggle and an appeal to the residents to participate in the Lok Raj Samiti and strengthen it.
