Hamara Manch Update: Dec. 18, 2024

In continuation with the first notice dated 27th Nov granting 21 days to the dhobis to vacate the dhobighat, today on 18th December a second (and ‘final’) notice has been put up asking dhobis to vacate the place by 2nd January 2025. Else the notice states that all the essential utilities will be stopped and “necessary action of eviction will be undertaken”.

You may recall that the dhobis had met the highest authorities of the Institute on the 11th of December and once again told them that the dhobighat is their workplace and without it they cannot do their work of cleaning, drying and then storing and ironing of clothes (see our earlier updates here). In the past one week a large number of students, their HECs and Gymkhana representatives have also tried to plead reason with the Institute, but authorities seem to be unwilling to listen to their pleas as well. The students have emphasised that they are an important stakeholder as they use the services of the dhobis. Many alumni have also pleaded on behalf of the dhobis. What we gather from different constituencies is that administration appears to be telling part truths or distorting the reality while talking to different sections. In this regard concerned community members have attended three meetings at dhobighat and three Hamara Manch Wednesday meetings in the past three weeks, and based on all this collective due diligence, we would like to emphasise a few important points for the community.

1.     The most important point is of livelihood of those 34 families who wash clothes of thousands of residents every day at dhobighat. Once they are asked to vacate the dhobighat, how do they work? We have not seen any proper answer from the administration so far on this issue. The families include the very old and the very young, including school and college going children. All of them are primarily dependent on this source of income and if it is disrupted then what happens to these families? According to our count it is a question of 92 persons who make these 34 families.

2.     Cleaning clothes of thousands of people on a daily basis requires some minimum facilities and saying that it can be done anywhere is absolutely no answer at all. It requires physical facilities at some minimum scale to do proper work and provide us very clean-crisp clothes day in and day out at almost any time of the day and night.

3.     The service include picking up the clothes from the users, cleaning them, drying them, ironing them and delivering it back, all in a couple of days. And they charge students only Rs 10/ per piece of clothing and this means almost a hand to mouth existence for the families. This is also possible because the institute has provided these facilities to the dhobis. So, in every sense we have a stake in the fate of the dhobis. Contrast this meagre rate with the VH where a private contractor has been hired to take the clothes of the guests and we are told that charges for even cleaning a small piece of clothing is more than Rs 100!

4.     And lastly, the dhobis have been providing this essential service to us for more than 60 years, to generations of students, faculty and staff, and at this point we ought to ensure that the Institute offers them a dignified option of livelihood and ways and means so that they can continue to serve us.

Finally, given the kind of misinformation being spread on account of dhobis and dhobighat, we recommend one thing to all of you and your family members. Please visit the dhobi ghat once yourself and see the conditions there firsthand before it is taken away. It is right in front of Hall 14 after the VH2.

PS: Checkout the following links:

1) HM report on the first eviction notice. 

2) IITKCF letter to Director demanding withdrawal of notice.

3) Signature Campaign