It is understandable that every city has its sewers infested by scumbags who eventually spread the plague. What is not acceptable is the attempt to sweep the dirt under the carpet and pretend like everything’s fine. Let’s not choose to be ignorant when the truth glares at us. Let’s get uncomfortable. Hyderabad Hyderabad’s politics has shamed the city once again when the as the suicide of PhD scholar, Rohit Vermulla indicated a protest to the discrimination against Dalits. Students who raised their voice on the issue were beaten up, molested and kept locked inside the campus with no access to food or electricity. Neither did the media have any access to the campus. The professors, supporting the students implored the assailants question them instead of beating them up but were paid no heed. 3500 students had been sleeping hungry, thirsty and without electricity, locked down inside the University campus.

Mumbai

In the midst of the glitz and glamour of Mumbai, often the hard facts are conveniently overlooked. If there’s something that has been eating up the city like termites, it’s the growing menace of the land mafia. Not that it hasn’t gone protested but there have been instances such as an activist being stripped and beaten up until she fell unconscious in broad daylight in Malwani.

Several reports have indicated that majority of Mumbai slums are under the grip of the land mafia who act as slumlords, occupying government land by letting thousands of slum dwellers live in the areas. However, these slums can be demolished at the blink of an eyelid if the slumlord sniffs profit and thousands lose their home overnight.

Ahmadabad

Although, Gujarat is supposed to be one of the most developed states of the country, Ahmadabad is no place for the poor. The Ahmadabad slums are some of the worst poverty stricken areas of the country with most people still struggling for clean water and electricity. Daily wage earners fall sick under such adverse conditions, costing them dearly as it reduces their working days.

10,000 slum dwellers were asked to relocated, their houses being sold off to private developers for the beautification project of the Sabarmati river. About 2500 families living in the slums, believed to be the remains of the 20,000 families who found shelter in these areas during the 2002 riots were asked to evacuate in 2013 without any promise of rehabilitation for the sake of Gujarat’s development.

Every big city hides terrible secrets as we let ourselves stay distracted by shopping malls and multiplexes.