Livelihood Substitution: The Case of the Lyari Expressway

B. Summary And Analysis Of The Survey Results

3. Summary

3.1 Settlements to be Demolished

The important points that emerged out of the survey of settlements to be demolished are given below.

• 40 (77%) out of 52 respondents live in unauthorised settlements and would never have become plot owners (under the present laws) had they continued to live in the Lyari River bed.
• 24 (46.15%) of the respondents have plots larger than the 80 square yards that they are being offered at the resettlement site.
• The properties they live in had a substantial market value but now no one is willing to buy them.
• 39 (75%) respondents came here so as to be near to their places of work and 44 (84.6%) so as to be near their relatives.
• 15 (28.9%) earn out of their premises. 8 have rented space and 7 operate shops from their homes.
• 40 (77%) of school going children walk to school as the schools are in the neighbourhood. 100% respondents said that primary school facilities were available in the neighbourhood and 50 (96.2%) said that secondary school facilities were also available.
• 52 (100%) respondents said that health facilities were available nearby.
• 46 (88.5%) of the respondents have piped water connections; 41 (77.8%) have legal electrical connections; 34 (65.4%) have gas connections; 12 (23%) have telephone connections and the rest make use of public call offices in the neighbourhood; 45 (86.5%) have an underground sewage system.
• 32 (61.5%) would like to go simply because they have no other option. They are afraid that if they do not go they will loose the compensation the government is offering them.
• The major problems foreseen by them at the resettlement site are: 47 (90.4%) employment, transport availability and children education; 39 (75%) break away from relatives; and 37 (71.2%) problems of constructing a house and a lack of services at the resettlement site.
• All respondents said that their existing social relationship help in and/or securing jobs, admission to school for their children, conflict resolution amongst residents and protection from police harassment.
• Training for the jobs that the respondents are engaged in is available in the informal sector operating in the area except for training as nurses and teachers which can only be acquired through formal sector institutions.

3.2 Survey at the Hawks Bay Resettlement Site

Important points that emerged out of the survey are:

• 40 (91%) out of 44 respondents lived in authorised settlements. They now have ownership slips although they are not sure as to how they will acquire a 99-year lease.
• In the previous settlement 34 (77.3%) respondents owned houses with more than 2 rooms. Here 13 (29.6%) own house with more than 2 rooms.
• No house is complete as yet. 32 (73%) say that it is because of a lack of funds.
• Reasons given for shifting are that they had no option and if they had exercised one they would not have received their plots and compensation.
• During period of shifting 28 (64%) rented a house in another locality; 9 (20.5%) lived with relatives; and the rest on footpaths and on rubble of demolished houses.
• Transport:
  • Transport is not available at the present site after 10 pm. At the previous site it was available round the clock.
  • Transport at the present site is more expensive than at the previous site and costs between Rs 10 to Rs 100 per trip. At previous site it cost between Rs 10 and Rs 30.
  • Travel time has increased for going to market, for social activities and to school. At previous settlement it was between 10 to 60 minutes. At present site it is between 30 to 360 minutes.
  • High cost of transport and its inavailability has disturbed the job and social activities of 30 (68.2%) respondents; market going activities of 27 (61.4%) respondents and education activities of children for 19 (43.2%) respondents.
• At present site 43 (98%) get water by tanker; at previous site 39 (86.6%) had house connections.
• At previous site 42 (95.5%) had electric meter connections; at present site 13 (29.5%) have meter connections
• At previous site 2 (4.5%) managed solid waste themselves, rest was taken care of by sweepers employed by them. At present site 31 (70.5%) respondents managed solid waste themselves.
• At previous site 41 (93.2%) had gas for cooking; at present site gas does not exist.
• At previous site primary and secondary schools and colleges were available. At present site 1 primary and 1 secondary school is being constructed.
• At previous site clinics, dispensaries, hospitals, lady doctors and LHVs were available and accessible. At present site an NGO has set up a clinic and there is 1 government dispensary.
• Employment and economic conditions:
  • 38 (86.4%) respondents feel that getting a job has become more difficult and 18 (50%) feel that getting children admitted to school has become more difficult.
  • At previous settlement in the 44 respondent families 62 men and 10 women worked. At the present site 36 men and 8 women work.
  • During shifting employment of a number of respondents was disturbed. 33 men and 4 women were unemployed for more than 3 months as a result of shifting.
  • 39 (88.6%) respondents say that their income has decreased and as a result their nutrition has also decreased. 19 (42.3%) say that their children’s education has been adversely effected and 27 (61.4%) say that their health has been adversely effected as a result.
  • In the previous settlement 39 (88.6%) respondents say that shopkeepers gave credit to them. In the present settlement 7(16%) say that credit from shopkeepers is available.
• Major problems are: absence of amenities 39 (88.6%) respondents; absence of health facilities 35 (79.6%) respondents; distance from relatives 35 (79.6%) respondents; difficulty in accessing jobs 33 (75%) respondents; and children’s education 21 (47.7%) respondents.
• 26 (59%) respondents said that their conditions have deteriorated; 12 (27.3%) said that they had improved and the others gave no response to this question.

3.3 Survey of To Be Demolished Commercial Units

Important points that emerged from the surveys are:

• 7 (87.5%) of the surveyed 8 units are un-authorised.
• They have made investments of between Rs 4,500 and Rs 2.5 million for their establishment.
• 50% of them are more than 20 years old.
• 5 (62.5%) will shift to nearby settlements.
• All of them fear bankruptcy and difficulty in accessing labour. 7 (87.5%) say that they will loose their old labour and 6 (75%) say that transport costs of men and material will increase.
• 6 (75%) say that their labour walks to work from nearby settlements and also raw material is available from nearby areas.
• 7 (87.5%) pay bills for all municipal utilities which means that they were legally acquired.

3.4 Survey of Commercial Units at the Relocation Site

Important points that emerged from the survey of 6 units are:

• 2 (33.3%) of the units were leased in the previous settlement. The others were not authorised.
• All the units had higher land and property values, larger premises and had made major investments at the previous site as compared to the present one.
• 3 (50%) of the units were established more than 17 years ago in the previous settlement.
• Evictions have resulted in heavy financial loss to all units; bankruptcy for 1 (16.7%) unit and major transport and access to raw material problems.
• At the previous settlement all their labour walked to work from nearby locations. At present site only 2 (33.3%) respondents said that their labour walk to work.
• At previous settlement 3 (50%) used to own a vehicle to transport raw material and in 2 (33.3%) the supplier used to transport raw material to them. At present location 1 (16.7%) respondent still owns a vehicle and 1 (16.7%) respondent still receives supplier supplied materials.
• At the previous settlement all respondents had legal electric connections which they also have at the present site. 4 (66.7%) had water connections, but now all receive water from tankers. 4 (66.7%) had gas connections but they now use wood, kerosene and/or gas bottles instead. At previous location they all employed sweepers for solid waste collection but now all of them do it themselves. 4 (66.7%) had underground sewage now only 1 (16.7%) has.
• In the previous settlement 4 (66.7%) respondents said that their labour had savings groups. At present settlement none of the labour working for the respondents has savings groups.
• 4 (66.7%) of the respondents said that loan facilities were available for their labour at the previous settlement. Only 1 (16.7%) respondent said that such facilities were available at the present settlement.
• None of the respondents owed any money to anyone at the previous settlement. 4 (66.7%) of the respondents have had to borrow money after shifting to the present settlement of which 3 (50%) have borrowed money for construction purposes.