As they gathered at Gulberg Society today to mark 10 years of the riots,residents were split on giving away their homes to be turned into a museum. The proposal to turn the area into a museum of resistance was first mooted in 2008. The Citizens for Justice and Peace (CJP) planned to buy the 5,687-sq-yard plot housing Gulberg Society for the purpose. But now,some of the families want to sell their homes to an organisation that will build public utility centres that would help the neighbouring Chamanpura residents. And to keep alive the memories of the victims,residents want a memorial hall not just for Gulberg Society but for all the victims of the 2002 riots. The 29 bungalows and 10 apartments of Gulberg Society are estimated to cost Rs 20 crore-Rs 25 crore as per the prevailing property rates. With the consent of a few residents,we have thought of developing a memorial hall on the empty land inside Gulberg Society which can be rented out for social purposes and important events, said Tanvir Jafri,son of former Congress MP Ehsan Jafri who was killed in the riots. The funds raised from renting out the hall could be used for giving scholarships to children or to the needy women in the riot-affected areas,he said. Today,these houses are nothing less than Rs 40 lakh each. People want to sell them as they are in need of money. Instead of selling it to private builders,we will sell it to an organisation that can build either a hospital,school,women development centre or anything that may help Chamanpura, said Jafri. We stayed here for 24 years before the riots destroyed everything. My son gave up his studies to support me and my two unmarried daughters. People talk about moving on. How does one move on without money? asked Sairabano Sheikh.
