Forced to Live in Makeshift Tents, 350 Families Boycott Elections

‘Ghar nahi to vote nahi’: 350 families in Gujarat’s Surat boycott elections after their houses were demolished

Houses that were demolished 1 year back, have still not been rebuilt

(Photo courtesy: Sweta Singh)

Around 350 families in Sachin municipality area of Surat are staying in makeshift tents, as the government has not provided them with houses after the demolition of their dilapidated building.

These poor families have been without a house for a very long time, and are now threatening to boycott elections.

These people have been exposed to all kinds of weather without a roof on their heads. They say they have been complaining about the issue since the beginning, but nobody is helping them.

Authority and media visit often to assess their situation, promise them help, but never return.

Anitaben is a resident of the makeshift tent, and says that there is no way they can lock their houses which makes it super unsafe. They have suffered major losses due to thefts that take place in their houses. Even their children are not safe in such an environment. They often fall sick due to extreme weather conditions and no protection.

Choryasi constituency MLA, Zankhana Patel says that the houses will be built very soon, and the families will be able to move in a year. ‘The tender got cancelled due to GST, and the new tender process will begin only after election due to Code of Conduct’, she added.

Video Producer: Srishti Tyagi

Video Editor: Mohd Irshad