This is the second part of a three-part series of field essays penned down by the Visual Storyboard team of the Centre for New Economics Studies (CNES), O.P. Jindal Global University, working in Kashmir for a manuscript project focusing on new subaltern voices of communities from the Valley. This series highlights observations made in the team’s interviews with ‘Watals’ in Sheikh Colonies. Read part one here.
This article is part of a series that delves into the socioeconomic dynamics and access to amenities within urban colonies inhabited by the Sheikh community in Srinagar, Kashmir. By focusing specifically on this community, the series aims to shed light on the lived experiences and challenges faced by this particular group within the broader urban landscape of the region.
Urban colonies frequently function as miniature representations of varied social and economic circumstances, showcasing the advantages and difficulties disenfranchised people encounter. We tried to investigate the socioeconomic dynamics and availability of essential amenities to the Sheikh community, a significant demographic group in the heart of Srinagar city.
The study aims to draw a broader implication of urban development and social policy for one of the marginalized groups in Kashmir Valley from the lived experiences of the inhabitants of the Sheikh colonies and by examining different aspects of their social life, such as housing conditions, access to public services (sanitation, healthcare and education) and availability of essential commodities.
Amid the city, surrounded by historical markets and heritage sites, the Sheikh colonies provide a distinct look, with congested lanes, tiny houses and depilated narrow roads. While the million-dollar smart-city project is renovating Srinagar’s streets and city centre markets, the Sheikh colonies remain untouched, displaying disordered and disorganised dwellings resembling slum-like ghettos with insufficient sanitation and hygiene conditions.
The Sheikh community living in these colonies encounters substantial obstacles when accessing essential utilities and government services. As far as sanitation of the locality is concerned, it was observed that while the sewage trucks from the municipality come to collect the garbage, the alleys in the interiors remain unhygienic, with open drains, often emitting odour, some even leaking in places. Large potholes mar the lanes, posing hazards to pedestrians and vehicles.
Access to government identity documents
As far as the possession of all government documents and identity cards, such as ration cards, Aadhar cards, and election cards is concerned, most of the members of this community possess them. However, some people are yet to apply for domicile certificates. After the abrogation of Article 370 of the Indian constitution, many new laws were implemented, and some documents, such as a ‘state-subject’ certificate used for the claim of citizenship of the state, became null and void.
Also read: Urban Marginalisation in Kashmir: The Vulnerabilities of ‘Watals’ in Sheikh Colonies of Srinagar
The government of the newly formed Union territory of Jammu Kashmir replaced the state-subject certificates with domicile certificates. People from this community didn’t quite understand the relevance of the Aadhaar card. They also considered it a replacement for the ‘state-subject’ certificate that was required in the erstwhile state of Jammu Kashmir. “What can we say! Aadhar Card is working fine everywhere. It is a necessity to show it everywhere. Earlier, a State Subject was necessary; it was then transferred to an Aadhar Card presumably. This means if we consider what was better, it was our state subject. It was our Kashmiri Identity. Aadhar is common, and it is in every corner of India. That was our distinct and unique identity,” said Ali Mohammad Dar.
While talking to us, most families highlighted the importance of ration cards, which give them access to rice from the government ration depot. The women from the community pointed out that earlier, they used to get wheat and sugar from the depot, but now it is not so, and the amount of ration per individual is also limited.
While talking about the insufficiency of the rice provided by the depot, a research participant said, “They assign 01 or 02 Kg rice per person. Suppose a household has ten individuals; a rice fetched through a ration card wouldn’t be enough. Poor people like us also buy it from private shops. Besides, rice from the government ration depot is filled with impurities.” Not all the members of the Sheikh Community get the ration on the subsidised rates from the government depots, except those who fall below the poverty line (BPL).
Shops for basic needs
Grocery shops stand separately, catering to daily needs. The private spaces have been converted into business spaces, where people have opened the shops in their respective houses. These shops sell basic items, and one can see that as compared to the shops in the vicinity they are almost empty.
On being asked who the customers are, a woman respondent added, “Mostly people from the colony buy things here, sometimes people from the vicinity also come to buy cigarettes.” It was also observed that some shops could be converted into living spaces at night, indicating the lack of space available.
Even though there are a few shops on the Hawal side of the colony, they have been set up by other communities as cheap space is available. Those shops are fairly better than those owned by the community members, with a large variety of items to choose from and properly set up.
Availability of water and electricity connection
Although electricity and tap water connections are available in all households, inhabitants of the Sheikh colonies remain constantly worried about inconsistent supply and increasing utility expenses.
For most parts of the old city of Srinagar, water supply is provided by the Jal Shakti Department (JSD) from the power canal located in the Wayil area of Ganderbal district, which is considered clean and healthy. Earlier, the Sheikh colonies used to get water from the same canal. Now, the water supply to these colonies comes from Dal Lake, which has raised questions about its quality and hygiene. “The water is not clean. Our water supply comes from Dal Lake. If you smell it, you’ll see how much it stinks,” said a member of the Sheikh community.
Additionally, the water bills charged by the Jal Shakti Department are costly for the community. Most of the Sheikh community members expressed their anger against the Power Development Department (PDD) for the shortage of electricity supply in the area and the hefty amounts charged as monthly electricity bills. Even though every house in the colony has an electricity connection, the inhabitants are concerned about the tariff hikes given that the consumption is far less than what they pay.
An elderly person from the community expressed, “Bills are huge. I used to pay 500 rupees earlier, now I pay 1300 rupees. I recently paid the bill.” Similarly, Bilal Ahmed Sheikh, a resident of Tujgari Mohala, while affirming the availability of the electricity and water supply, said, “Yes, we have both, but electricity comes for only 02 hours daily. We get an electricity bill of 1040 rupees per month, its huge amount & water bill is annually paid around 3000 rupees.”
Election cards and voting
Electoral politics at the state level is taken seriously by the members of the Sheikh community. They actively participate in voting during the elections. In the past, when the voting percentage remained negligible in Srinagar due to the unconducive political atmosphere, the community members used to vote in huge numbers.
“I have voted. I might have voted 10- 15 times,” said Ali Mohammad. Women from the community have also taken part in elections as voters. Sheikh. A female respondent, Tasleema, showed excitement while responding to whether she had ever voted: “Yes, I do. I have cast a vote numerous times. By god’s will, I will cast a vote again in the upcoming elections.”
Despite voting in almost every election, the members of this community were not satisfied with the fulfilment of their demands. Politicians from different political parties visit these colonies during elections and make promises of development and rehabilitation, but to no avail. A community member who runs a grocery shop expressed his dismay towards politicians, “Baashan dewaan rashan ne kehin” (These politicians come, give their speeches, but don’t do anything).
Banking facilities
The members of the Sheikh Community are well acquainted with the Banking Services. They have their bank accounts and visit banks to get their dues. Some members of this community have also taken out housing loans indicating their awareness about the loan mechanisms of the Bank. Some community members own private vehicles, as it was observed that scooters and electric autorickshaws line the streets parked outside the homes.
The members of the community are now diversifying their ways of earning and do not want only to be dependent on the earlier profession of cleaning the streets; that is why many have taken out loans to buy E-Rickshaws to earn a living through a different channel. Also some of the members who work in SMC own two-wheelers. “We have to reach our workplace area early in the morning, and sometimes we can be called any time. The transport is not usually available at that time. That is why I had to take a loan for a bike,” said a respondent when asked about the two-wheeler parked in front of his house.
Access to health facilities
Local dispensaries and health centres are in the locality to cater to the community’s needs. Yes, we have a dispensary. The behaviour of the staff is fine with us.” said Tasleema. However, health centres are not equipped to deal with serious medical emergencies. Therefore, people generally prefer to go to the JLMN Government Hospital, which is located nearby. “We prefer Rainawari Hospital over the Health centre,” said another respondent.
There are no private clinics in the locality and only one medical store in the neighbourhood. It was also observed that many community members were unaware of the Golden-card Health Insurance schemes and how to avail it. There’s also an Anganwadi Centre located in the Androoni Kathi Darwaza Mohalla that caters to the needs of people. The narrow lanes make it difficult for the ambulances to reach needy patients. Even the local transport facility is not available in the interiors of the Sheikh colonies.
Educational institutions
Few public schools serve the educational needs of the community. Most children are admitted to a public school called Sultan-ul-Arifeen School, where they have to pay a nominal monthly fee. Both boys and girls in the community are encouraged to go to school. But the drop-out rate is high. Some Sheikh community members can afford to admit their children to a private school, such as Motherland School, located nearby in Rainawari. Most of the members from this community were not aware of the scholarships that the government provides for children’s education, and hence, it led them to drop their children from school, citing poverty.
Access to police stations
The nearby police stations for this community are Police Station Nowhatta and Lalbazaar. Members of this community do approach these when in need. Special mention of the help provided by the police when this community was struggling to control the drug menace at their place. Initially, the collective of the senior members of the community across different Mohallas was formed to tackle the issue of drug menace among the youth, but later on, the police also helped them.
Conclusion
The Sheikh community residing in the urban space face obstacles that encompass insufficient housing and infrastructure and restricted availability of vital services and government assistance. To tackle these difficulties, it is imperative to adopt a comprehensive approach that emphasises community engagement, policy interventions, and allocation of resources towards infrastructure development and social welfare programs.
Stakeholders should strive to cultivate equitable urban environments that promote the well-being of all citizens by enhancing the representation of marginalised communities and promoting inclusive development strategies.
The authors would like to especially thank Irfa Anjum, Hamreen Khan, Rekha Pachauri for their invaluable support, assistance with field interviews, in making this study possible. Video Essays from this project are accessible from here. Video Credits: Rajan Mishra.
Deepanshu Mohan is a Professor of Economics and Dean, IDEAS, Office of Interdisciplinary Studies, and Director, Centre for New Economics Studies (CNES), O.P. Jindal Global University. He is currently a Visiting Professor at London School of Economics and a 2024 Fall Academic Visitor to Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies (AMES), University of Oxford. Khalid Wasim is an Assistant Professor, Central University of Kashmir. Dr Ishfaq Wani is a Senior Research Analyst, CNES and completed his PhD from Central University of Kashmir. Najam Us Saqib is a Research Analyst, CNES and is undertaking his Phd from Central University of Kashmir. Dr Rekha Pachauri teaches at Bennett University. Ifrah Anjum and Hamreen Khan are Research Analysts with CNES and completed their postgraduate studies in Kashmir.
