Online edition of Sunday Observer

Old polythene sheets stretched over rusty drums or umbrella spokes, is all the shelter they have. That these sheets get extremely hot

during the daytime and turn the shelter into a veritable inferno is something they ignore with street savvy philosophy. They eat, drink and sleep like ordinary people. They even go to work and bring up families. But unlike ordinary families, they do these everyday activities, from a bit of pavement they call home.

The marginalised segment of society! Ignored, overlooked, and literally forced into a vagabond excitence, they currently claim ownership to a stretch of pavement close to Lake House, transforming it into a mini shanty settlement.

The polythene sheets, and scattered utensils is a common sight to those who travel along D.R. Wijewardana Mawatha. But not many pause to question why these families are living on the pavement or even what misfortune brought them here. Not even the concerned authorities who feel that it is not their duty to give these people shelter. Part of Colombo's burgeoning shanty population, these families were initially located at the Fort Railway Station.

But when the make shift structures were demolished by the Fort Police and the Colombo Municipal Council and alternative accommodation provided elsewhere, there families were left out and forced to look for an alternative site.

Tony Christopher, head of one of the shanty families is an odd job man earning Rs. 150-200 per day. "This wage I earn is hardly enough, given the escalating prices of food, and we have to make a lot of sacrifices on behalf of our growing children," he says. Tony has two kids, a daughter who goes to kindergarten and a seven months old son. Says he "We lived at the Fort Station for nearly ten months. Before that we had a house in Ragama, but we had some problems and lost our house. We tried to build a house but we didn't have any money or land." The family was forced to move to the pavement but living is dreadfully strenuous, he says.

The reality of pavement living doesn't make a pretty story. Families have no proper access to their shacks. They have no water for drinking or washing, and no sanitation facilities whatsoever. Add to this the fact that, whenever it rains, the shanties get flooded with rain water and accompanying debris.

T.D. Chandrawathy, a mother of two who had been living as a shanty dweller from birth says "Water is the main problem, we have to go to the other side to fetch water to cook, drink and wash, so there are days we starve without food and water." Her husband sells candies and periodicals at the Railway Station, and makes a meagre living. Chandrawathy's children attend the government school at Mihindu Mawatha, and their educational necessities have to be met with the meagre earning. "When my husband does not earn, we are desperate, wondering how to feed the hungry children", she says, adding that during rainy days, their shacks get flooded. The laments notwithstanding, impoverishment and living in shanties is something the family is used to. A short distance away gaunt looking children could be seen, playing with some fish in a wooden box. Their faces showed no signs of the worries expressed by the parents.

There was a sense of camaraderie, caring and sharing among them and of course love. One shouldn't be surprised to see these children being so happy, for not having known the luxury living in palatial homes they don't dream of luxuries. All they want is decent shelter, that will keep them protected during the rain. Jayampathy a 27-year-old young man who arrived with a load of cashew nuts and toffees in his hands, added his share of miseries. "I was born in Paliyagoda, but after the deathe of my parents I was sent to the orphanage. I didn't like to stay there, so I ran away and started selling nuts and candies at the Railway Station. Jayampathy earns Rs.100-200 per day, but says that if any one wants to do business at the Railway Station, he or she has to bribe long timers with bottles of alcohol. "If we don't, they will fine us Rs. 100. Then nothing is left from our earning", he asks. The rest of the vendors have complained to the Fort Police, who have promised to take action but nothing has been done so far. Jayampathy is single and doesn't have any family.

But others have accepted me as a member of their family", he says.Many of the shanty dwellers claim they don't use drugs or earn their living by begging, prostitution, thievery, selling drugs or any other illicit and illegal activities. Even the most hardened pavement dweller looks for some form of employment, from doing odd jobs, to selling lottery. Most of the dwellers claim that they had been promised houses by the Fort Police. They are at present assisted by a Catholic priest, who had lived and worked among the pavement dwellers in the Pettah circuit.

Redress under new program?

The pavement dwellers of D. R. Wijewardena Mawatha are the unfortunate few, who were left with no place to go when the Fort Police decided to clean up the Railway Station ten years ago. According to O.I.C of Fort Police, H.M. Dharmasena there was an increase in narcotics, illicit arrack and prostitution among the pavement dwellers. He also alleged that many crimes and offenses were committed by street and shanty dwellers which in turn had led to a social and environmental problem especially at the Railway Station. "So we decided to clear the shanties from the Station", he said, explaining that although a majority of the families had expressed their willingness to shift, 11 families had not been given houses or money. "When they begged for a place to stay I requested them to stay somewhere in Colombo, till I found a solution. Thereafter they set-up their shacks near Lake House. "But based on a new programme we have decided to provide houses to these 11 families shortly", he explained.

'Sumana Sarana Sansadaya', a new development programme was launched to resettle the pavement dwellers two months ago. Land for the project was provided by V. Sathyananthan, Chairman of Land reclamation. The programme is supported by the Ven. Bandarewella Sumana Thera, who has obtained financial assistance from Japan, to build the houses. Under this program the families are to be provided with brick houses on a plot of land in Kelaniya before the end of the year.