Support the Mumbai slum dwellers' struggle

Torrential rains and floods have brought the buzzing city of Mumbai to a halt. On July 26th, when rain water gushed into apartments and shops leaving all the railroads and streets clogged, the value of shelter became ever more apparent. As massive rains paralyzed Mumbai, the worst affected were the thousands of homeless people whose homes had been demolished earlier this year on the pretext of “beautifying” the city. Most of the displaced slum dwellers of Mumbai now live in make-shift huts or on the streets -- braving rains, floods and diseases. Instead of providing flood relief in such grave times, the police have confiscated food and other essentials from the evicted slum dwellers and have resorted to physical violence once again.
Financial and material assistance is required for the people of Mumbai who are now fighting infectious diseases such as Leptospirosis, and are in dire need of food, medicine and plastic sheets. For more information on flood relief efforts in Mumbai, please visit:
http://mumbai.aidindia.org/rains/napm-update-1st-august.html
As we celebrate the 58 th anniversary of India 's independence, we express our solidarity with the struggle of displaced slum dwellers of Mumbai and salute them for their unflinching spirit of resistance.
In struggle,
South Asian Collective