The refugees from Myanmar live in shanties and lack proper access to even healthcare and education. 'We do not ask for a pucca ghar, just a better place will do,' they say.
The Rohingya camp in Bandlaguda, Hyderabad. (Ajay Tomar/South First)
Every day, the 79 families in the Rohingya refugee camp at Bandlaguda in Hyderabad have to live with the fear that they might be asked to vacate their shanties.
“We live here on a rental basis. The minimum rent is ₹800 per month. But as the size of the family increases, more space is needed and the rent can go as high as ₹1,800. But our landlord (a private owner) can ask us to vacate our houses at any moment. So that tension is always in my mind,” Mohamed Aseem (name changed), a native of Maungdaw town in Rakhine, Myanmar, told South First.
“Many of us also work for our landlord and sell scrap to him. If we sell it outside or if any other dispute arises, then he could ask us to leave immediately. But due to our majboori (helplessness), we cannot do so as we will not be able to afford the rents outside,” the resident of the Rohingya camp in Hyderabad said.
“We do not ask for a pucca ghar (cemented houses). Just a better place where we can live in peace would do,” Ali Murtaza, a ragpicker, said.
Hours after Union Housing Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on 17 August announced a “landmark” decision of shifting Rohingyas living in Delhi to EWS residential flats, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) denied there was any such plan after criticism by right-wing groups including the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), which labelled the refugee community “infiltrators”.
India has always welcomed those who have sought refuge in the country. In a landmark decision all #Rohingya #Refugees will be shifted to EWS flats in Bakkarwala area of Delhi. They will be provided basic amenities, UNHCR IDs & round-the-clock @DelhiPolice protection. @PMOIndia pic.twitter.com/E5ShkHOxqE
— Hardeep Singh Puri (@HardeepSPuri) August 17, 2022
Shanties where the Rohingyas live in Bandlaguda, Hyderabad (Deeksha Devadiga/South First)
“Our friends and relatives living in other parts of India are not allowed to come and live with us for more than two days. Local police have told us that if they exceed the limit, we will be thrown in jail,” the residents said with a grim look on their faces.
Several waves of bloodshed, most recently in 2017, targeting their homes compelled the Rohingyas of Myanmar to seek refuge in neighbouring countries.
As per UN figures, over one million Rohingyas have sought asylum in Bangladesh, 92,000 in Thailand, and 21,000 in India, among other countries.
Over 200 Rohingya children at the Hyderabad camp are enrolled in the madrassa (Muslim educational institution). But with only one Maulvi (teacher) to teach them there, some are enrolled in nearby private schools.
Madrassa where the Rohingya children study (Deeksha Devadiga/South First)
Roughly located five to six kilometers from Madina hills in Venkatapuram, it is tough for the Rohingyas to commute due to the rocky terrain and lack of proper roads.
“The government schools are far away and we are unable to drop our children off every day due to our work commitments. It is hard for them to commute alone. So we pay a salary of ₹8,000 to the Maulvi sahab to teach them. Fees in private schools are very high and everyone can’t afford them,” Aseem said, adding that the children under the age of five do not study as it is hard for the Maulvi to handle them.
Most men work as ragpickers — some were trafficked by the kabadi (ragpicker) mafia in Bangladesh when they fled Myanmar.
Sewing machines operated by women and young girls (Ajay Tomar/South First)
A few, including Ismail, are running shops inside the camp after borrowing sourcing goods on credit from their suppliers.
Other men work as daily-wagers — as helpers in nearby warehouses, restaurants, delivery boys for nearby shops, or driving auto rickshaws for bread and butter.
Meanwhile, girls at the Hyderabad Rohingya camp do not go to school and assist their mothers in household chores.
While a few women help their husbands collect scrap, most of them are busy raising their families.
Rohingyas have to travel more than six to seven kilometers to access the nearest medical facility.
“Sometimes, we have to walk to the hospital to save money. Many avoid going to the hospital fearing the long walk. The roads are so bad, no autos agree to come here even if offered money,” said Noor Jahan (16).
Children at the Rohingya camp (South First/Ajay Tomar)
The situation turns worse when a woman is about to deliver or needs medicines during pregnancy.
“It was very difficult to get someone to take me to a hospital during my delivery but we somehow managed it. The child of another girl in the camp had to be delivered here because we had no choice. There were no means of transport available for her,” recalled Alisha (25), adding that the situation is especially grave after 10 pm, as even their limited options dwindle.
Seeking early intervention from the UNHCR or a local NGO, Mohammad Ismail (20) said, “Even then we have to go to a private clinic or hospital that charges a high amount for treatment since there is no government hospital nearby. There is no arrangement by any NGO or UNHCR to solve this important problem.”
“Earlier, UNHCR used to help us a lot. But now, over the years, the help has come down,” he added.
Another important concern is the lack of sanitary napkins. “Pads are provided from the local AIMIM office once a year, but this year they haven’t been given yet. We have to also buy diapers for children,” Alisha, a mother of two, said.
The Rohingyas in the Hyderabad camp also have to travel around 10 km to get vaccines, especially for their children. “A doctor can visit the camp once a fortnight or a month to check on our children. That will be really helpful,” Assem said.
South First contacted the Telangana government District Minority Welfare Officer Mohammed Khasim to know if there are any welfare initiatives for Rohingyas.
“Regarding Rohingyas, we do not have any data and there are no welfare schemes drafted or being implemented for them. The schemes are only for Indian-origin minorities living in Telangana and not for refugees,” Khasim said.
According to a 2017 government estimate, more than 40,000 Rohingya refugees live in various camps and slums in several Indian cities and towns, including Delhi, Jammu, Hyderabad, Nuh and Faridabad (both Haryana), and Kelambakkam (Chennai).
Apart from Shaheen Nagar in Bandlaguda, the Rohingya community is spread across Balapur, Baba Nagar, Kishanbagh, Jalpally, and other areas in Hyderabad.
Rohingyas, however, cannot possess an Indian identity card, which is necessary to avail essential local welfare schemes.
The camp at Shaheen Nagar, Bandlaguda (South First/Ajay Tomar)
“We have a UN refugee card, which helps in dealing with the police and local administration. But it doesn’t help in getting ration, health check-ups, or employment in the area. Even the adults who want to pursue higher studies could not get admitted to colleges as they do not have an ID card,” Aseem, dressed in a multi-coloured lungi and white T-shirt, pointed out.
Resentment is not new for the Rohingyas as they used to face it continually back home from the Tatmadaw (Myanmar military), accused of perpetrating large-scale ethnic cleansing. The Tatmadaw claimed that it was responding to the actions of a Rohingya group called the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army.
For the community, even the once-friendly Muslim neighbourhoods in Hyderabad have now turned hostile.
“They say that we are involved in scrap work and remain unhygienic, so they started to avoid us,” Ismail said, right before he was chided by the group for speaking against the locals.
The Rohingyas live in dilapidated dwellings — shanties of cloth and tarpaulin pulled over bamboo structures — spread across an area nearly the size of a football field.
Making of a Rohingya shelter. (South First/Ajay Tomar)
The shanties, at the New Green City of Shaheen Nagar in Bandlaguda, are barely able to withstand a storm or sudden downpours.
“There is not enough space to live here as our families are growing. Sometimes there is a fear of wild animals like snakes entering the houses as this place is isolated,” said Ali Murtaza, while thanking the government for all its efforts to date.
Murtaza and others have to travel as much as 80 kilometers up and down every day.
“We earn ₹400 to ₹500 per day, but there is work only for 10 to 15 days a month. On top of it, the diesel cost has also to be met,” the group told South First.
Rohingya men mostly work as ragpickers (South First/Deeksha Devadiga)
Meanwhile, in an earlier interview with this reporter, Syed Shahezadi, a member of the National Commission for Minorities (NCM), denied any role for the commission in assisting the Rohingyas.
“The commission runs welfare schemes for Indian minorities only, not for those from Myanmar and Bangladesh,” she pointed out.
After spending years in India, Aseem and the elders at Shaheen Nagar want to return to Myanmar. But they want their government to promise them rehabilitation along with other facilities.
“It’s in our hearts that we will go to our homeland one day. But only if the Myanmar government assures us of their full security and good behaviour will we go back,” he said.
(With inputs from Deeksha Devadiga)
