Ghungutipara slum dwellers in Odisha turn to goddess for 'relief'

SAMBALPUR: In times of distress, turn to God. This is exactly what Ghungutipara slum dwellers did on Tuesday to seek a better rehabilitation package in the event of their displacement due to the proposed redevelopment plan of Samaleswari Temple.

Residents of the slum took out a procession to the shrine and offered prayers to the presiding deity. Women and children participated in the march by beating traditional musical instruments. On reaching the temple, they performed ‘Aalati’.

The rally was also an attempt to draw attention of the State government to plight of residents of Ghungutipara, one of the oldest slums near the shrine. Earlier on January 24, district administration had convened a meeting with the residents to discuss the issue of displacement. The slum dwellers were also given a rehabilitation proposal which they rejected on several grounds. 

Santanu, a resident, said, “The authorities had invited us for discussion once but didn’t tell us anything about how we will be rehabilitated. They only informed us that we will likely be shifted to Durgapali which is very far from our current location. There are a lot of uncertainties as we don’t know how we will be able to earn our livelihood and what facilities the administration will provide us. We took out the rally and prayed to the deity to help us tide over this tough time and rehabilitate us in a better way. It was also an attempt to draw the attention of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik towards our plight.”

The history of Ghungutipara dates back to over 400 years during the reign of first Chauhan king of Sambalpur Balram Dev. When Samaleswari temple was built, Dev brought a few families of the traditional instrument players to Sambalpur from Ghungutipali in Patnagarh.

Their job was to play instruments during the temple rituals. Subsequently, they settled near the temple and the settlement was named after their native place. Apart from playing instruments in the temple, they were also given the charge of cleaning the shrine.

Later, as their music became popular, people of other castes also started playing the instruments and they gradually started to lose their livelihood means.

Currently, the residents of Ghungutipara eke out a living by working as daily wagers and sanitation workers while many basic amenities still elude them.

​Even after residing in the slum for over 400 years, they are yet to get land pattas. The slum houses around 200 families with majority being from the Scheduled Caste.