ARE THE URBAN POOR UNDER FEAR?

Notwithstanding the fact that the central government, quite a few state governments and various non-state actors have come out with commendable social sector and employment generation schemes, the poor in India still find it difficult to come out of the vicious trap of poverty, uncertainty, fear, hopelessness etc. Thus, social commentators are perhaps not wrong in saying that numerous Indias co-exist within India. While one stratum of society lives on 28 rupees a day, the other stratum possibly lives on 280 rupees a day. This mammoth gap in socio-economic status has its impact in myriad dimensions. One such dimension is with respect to the comfort level exhibited in the process of using public utility services. This piece is intended to look at one such instance. It is written purely on the basis of personal experiences and as such readers have every right to disagree with every bit of the piece.

Delhi Metro, the country’s show stopper, has recently completed ten years of impeccable public service. During this last decade, this popular mode of transportation has undergone various changes and uplifts in terms of routes, capacity, daily volumes etc. Most importantly, the metro is now being symbolized as the perfect example of mass transport. Right from the elite to the downtrodden, the metro has been the torch bearer of the hopes and aspirations of the people in the capital.

However, a deeper analysis would show that the urban poor still find it difficult to get them assimilated with this mode in some form or the other. An uncanny sense of fear, doubt, no-confidence and reluctance seem to cast dark clouds over them. This is observed at all the stages of their travelling. Right from buying a token to entering the platforms via the token/card scanners to walking/ standing on the escalator to entering the train to exiting the destination station, they invariably get caught up in some issue or the other. Further, even inside the train coaches, their behavior is worth noticing. Even when a seat is vacant, they are a tad hesitant to occupy it provided some affluent person is also eyeing the same seat. And even if they occupy it, they look around frantically just to make sure that they are not being laughed at. Even after a decade of service, a sense of genuine comfort level seems to elude them.

The Delhi Metro is meant for everyone- a construction worker has as much right to confidently travel in it just like an IT professional. Thankfully enough, the planners of the metro had not compartmentalized the seats or the coaches. Thus, although the urban poor have been making use of this mass mode, it is perhaps not a true representation of their assimilation.

So, what precisely is the reason for the existence of such a phenomenon? A cursory look at the issue would say that these people, in all probability, feel themselves inferior to their richer counterparts and hence try and maintain a distinct and visible gap with them. Or is the pendulum not in equilibrium due to other subtle reasons? Do the richer classes (willingly or unwillingly) impose implicit restrictions on these people by way of stares, looks, gestures etc.? In broader terms, is this lack of assimilation yet another portrayal of the rich-poor divide in the country?

The above are questions which require a deeper study and research. My prime idea was to bring out the issue to the fore. But, one thing is for sure- The poor have remained poor and vulnerable, they are still struggling and who knows when their struggle ends? Or for that matter, will it ever see an end in the first place? Are the stakeholders listening?