"We also have aspirations. We also have dreams for our future. But no one is willing to hear us. It is almost as if we don't exist," says Bikki wistfully. In his 20s, Bikki is a resident of Bangla Basti, a slum situated near Hakima Gate in Amritsar.
As the name suggests, Bangla Basti is a settlement of Bengali origin migrants. Many of the residents say they have been living in Amritsar for 50 years though the basti itself is said to have come up a bit later.
On being asked to elaborate on his 'aspirations' Bikki says:
"We see people driving big cars, building massive mansions, wearing expensive clothes, using fancy gadgets. When we see this, we feel what if we also had such a life?"Bikki, resident of Amritsar's Bangla Basti
"The rich have become richer but the condition of the poor has become worse," he adds.
Punjab has one of the lowest poverty rates in India but it is said to be the only state where urban poverty exceeds rural poverty.
In the upcoming elections, while the urban poor may play a key role in terms of numbers, many in this section feel that they don't figure anywhere in the political discourse.
'Nothing Has Changed for us in 50 years'
Sitting on the ground near Bikki is Meenu, who is in her late 40s and begins by saying that she has a "hearing problem".
"I don't hear very well. Maybe that's why I am able to speak out without fear of what people will say," she says, laughing.
Like Bikki, Meenu also feels that nothing has moved for them in the past many decades.
"Nothing has changed for us. We still do the same menial jobs we were doing five decades ago. No government policy or plan accounts for our welfare. Even after staying here for 50 years, we are treated like temporary residents. We don't have registry for our houses".Meenu, resident of Amritsar's Bangla Basti
Lack of tenure rights is the main issue for the residents of Bangla Basti. Since the residents don't have legal rights over land, there is a constant fear of eviction. Due to this fear, most residents continued to live in houses made of makeshift materials.
The slum also faces a number of other problems such as regular flooding during monsoons. Most households also don't have formal electricity supply.
According to a study by Sandeep Kumar in the International Journal of Scientific Research and Review, just 11 percent of Bangla Basti has supply of tap water and only 10 percent of its area is covered by sewerage lines.
Meenu complains that parties treat them as voters who are to be "hoarded to the polling booth on voting day." "Parties don't care what we go through. We aren't influential like Punjab's farmers who can unite and make the government agree to their demands. We are too poor to even organise, let alone making the government listen," she says.
'No Jobs, No Opportunities'
Bikki explains that most of the residents here "collect garbage" for a living or "work with hair."
Elaborating on the latter, he says, "We go to salons and gather discarded hair. The hair is then collected and sent to factories in Bengal, where it is turned into wigs for bald people to wear".
"These are the kind of jobs we are forced to do. There are no other opportunities. Many of us have tried for government jobs but there just aren't enough vacancies," he says.
Anger over lack of jobs is a statewide phenomenon in Punjab.
Manoj, who lives near Jalandhar's Ekta Nagar, has a similar story.
"I have completed my plus-two. I applied for several government jobs, but failed to make the cut due to a small number of vacancies," he says.
He now works as a helper in a food stall owned by someone else.
Like Bikki, what seems to hurt Manoj most besides the lack of opportunities, are the stark inequalities in the city where he lives.
"Go around the city and you would see the biggest mansions. And then you have thousands like us who live with difficulty in slums. What people spend in malls in one evening is what we make in several months," he says.
"Sometimes the houses catch fire in areas where we live," he says, probably referring to an incident near Maqsudan bypass earlier in 2021 in which slum dwellings were gutted in a fire due to a cylinder blast.
What Does Data Say About Slums in Punjab's Cities?
According to the 2011 census, the highest number of slum dwellers among the Punjab's cities is in Amritsar with about 3.29 lakh of its people living in slums. This accounts for a little over 29 percent of the city's population. It is followed by Ludhiana with 2.44 lakh slum dwellers and Jalandhar with 1.45 lakh.
However, some of the smaller cities have a higher concentration of slum dwellers. For instance in Tarn Taran, which lies just 25 km south of Amritsar, over 50 percent of its population is said to be living in slums. Some reports peg the number at around 44 percent, which is still a high percentage.
Then in the south-western end of Punjab, Malout in Sri Muktsar Sahib district and Fazilka have over 40 percent of their population living in slums.
In Faridkot, the slum population is said to be about 36 percent as per the 2011 census.
What Do the Punjab's Urban Poor Say About Elections?
With such a high concentration in urban areas, slum dwellers should ideally be a key target group for every political party. But not many seem to be offering anything specific for this section.
"They feel they can woo us with sops at the last moment. But this time we have made up our mind to consolidate our votes and go with whichever party offers us registry (for homes)," says Meenu at Amritsar's Bangla Basti.
Bikki says that the Congress has been strong in their area since many of their homes were given by Indira Gandhi.
"The Congress is strong in our area. This time many are also talking about the Aam Aadmi Party [AAP]. The contest may be between these two. But we are determined to consolidate our votes and get a better deal," Bikki said.
Manoj in Jalandhar too says that AAP is gaining ground in their area but they don't know who the candidate is. Bikki and Meenu too don't know the AAP candidate in their area but they are familiar with the local Congress MLA Inderbir Singh Bolaria.
It's Mainly Congress vs AAP
The break-up of the Akali-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) alliance has opened up some of the urban contests in Punjab to the advantage of Congress and AAP.
AAP's claims of cheaper electricity and better schools and health facilities have helped it gain some traction among the Punjab's urban poor and to some extent compensate for its weakness among traders and more affluent urban voters. The anger against the established parties like Congress, Akali Dal, and BJP on issues like unemployment and corruption is also working in AAP's favour.
But the absence of strong local faces seems to be hampering its growth.
On the other hand, in many urban seats, the Congress is banking on MLAs with a strong connect with the area – be it Inderbir Bolaria in Amritsar South or Avtar Singh Junior 'Bawa Henry' in Jalandhar North.
Some of the biggest gainers in the recent churn in the Punjab Congress happen to represent urban constituencies – Pradesh Congress chief Navjot Sidhu (Amritsar East), Deputy Chief Minister OP Soni (Amritsar Central), and education minister and general secretary (organisation) Pargat Singh (Jalandhar Cantonment).
Then there are city MLAs who have been part of both Captain Amarinder Singh and Charanjit Channi ministries such as Manpreet Badal (Bathinda Urban), Bharat Bhushan Ashu (Ludhiana West), and Raj Kumar Verka (Amritsar West).
Whether AAP's Delhi model convinces voters in urban Punjab or Congress holds its ground with a strong line-up of candidates, may decide which party comes out on top in the Punjab in the elections.
But voters like Bikki, Meenu, and Manoj are not very hopeful, whatever be the outcome.
"We want a government that addresses the gap between rich and poor, but we know that may never happen in this country," Bikki says.
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