Nowhere to go: Homeless struggle to find their feet, and a roof

Where will we go?” they ask.
Women abandoned by husbands, disabled folks who have lost ability to earn a living, unemployed construction labourers and families who have traditionally been in transit. These are the people that who have made Pune streets their homes. While they would like to move into a house, they can’t afford the rent of the cheapest abodes in the city.

At the beginning of NIBM Road itself, one sees road digging work in progress on what used to be a foothpath until a couple of weeks ago. This small corner of the road is home to Ramzan Shaikh and many others like him.

“I have lived in this area for three years, usually on this footpath. I had an accident while working on the farm in my village on the border of Karnataka. I have no movement in one leg. On a relative’s advice, I came to Pune. Since I had no work and no money, I started begging. There are several like me here. Women abandoned by their husbands and families, old people who have nowhere to go and some families who have come from villages due to no work there,” he said.

Another footpath that is home to destitutes is just outside the Samhaji Park. It begins from Balgandharva Rangmandir and stretches almost up to the petrol pump located on the same side. One can sight a group of almost 8-10 street-dwellers right outside the left hand side of the Sambhaji Park gate. A woman named Rani, who seems to be in her early 20s, shares, “We have been staying here for almost 8-9 years. In the past, almost two-three times, ‘bade saab’ (senior officers) have forced us to vacate the area. We shifted to the area below the Sangam Bridge for a few days. But we couldn’t stay there for long because it was already occupied by another set of beggars and wastepickers. We are homeless. Where else can we go?”

Outside Pune Railway Station, about 500 metres from Sassoon Hospital, one can see a footpath occupied with temporary settlements. The passers-by often cringe as they are forced to walk on the busy road due to illegal huts of migrant workers. The occupants, mostly hailing from Karnataka, work as daily wage labourers in the nearby areas. “We came to Pune from Hospet in Karnataka 5-6 years ago and have been living here for last three years. Before, we were living in a slum area near Yerwada. But soon we lost our job and had to leave the slum,” says Yusuf Shaikh. “It is difficult to even buy food everyday. How can we think about a permanent shelter?” he asks.