The National Urban Development Struggle Committee has given a call to pave way for democratic process of planning to fulfil aspirations of urban poor and give them equitable share of land.

The two-day meeting of the Committee under the aegis of National Alliance of Peoples Movement that concluded in Hyderabad on Wednesday had 84 participants from 20 organisations across seven states.

The meeting deliberated on issues being faced by various categories of urban poor- slum dwellers, hawkers, unorganised workers, small traders.

In the name of urban renewal projects, infrastructure development like roads, flyovers, SEZs, poor were being alienated from land, housing, livelihoods, basic services across cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Hyderabad, participants reported.

NAPM convenor Medha Patkar briefing media persons said that none was against infrastructure development but land acquisition was not by eviction and marginalisation of poor. In the name of development, human rights of poor comprising 70 per cent population were being trampled, she pointed out.

The poor formed part and parcel of urban economy and a conspiracy was being hatched by the Indian and international investors to monopolise retail market. It would be challenged at all costs, she asserted.

The resource persons from AP and other states working on various issues would formulate strategies and action plan and go to grass root levels to conduct workshops to enable each Gram Sabha and ward has its own plan fulfilling people’s needs as per Article 243 of Constitution and launch campaigns.

The meeting demanded provision of Hawker Zones on the roads itself as per National Hawkers Policy, 2004 which recognised hawkers as self- employed and their contribution to urban economy and priority for public transport, affordable mass transport in transport planning.