CAIRO: Walking through Khalawati in Maadi Basaatin is a depressing sight. Like much of Cairo, looming high rise flats are pitched along the skyline. However, it is not the flats themselves that make this place depressing, but that their impending occupation means the forced evacuation of a large number of families in the area. The blocks are currently empty, but their investors intend to sell them off soon, making a hefty profit as land speculation in Cairo continues to rise. However, the value of the apartments would be higher were it not for local self-built housing, which, according to the local authorities, are blocking streets and gardens that have been "officially planned since 1996. On Sept. 30 - in the middle of the month of Ramadan - the local authorities decided to carry through the first forced evacuation. The Mansour family was busy preparing for iftar when they heard a booming crash outside their house. Peeping through the curtains, they found a huge bulldozer surrounded by security forces and the local police, who, as well as their ordinary weapons, were brandishing a notice informing them that their house was to be demolished. "This was the first time we heard anything about the decision, said Um Ismail, holding her two-year old daughter, "We were given no prior notice that our houses were in danger. Our house does not have a license because we cannot afford one, but we bought the land legally and have the contracts here. Um Ismail's former residence, which consisted of three floors and was home to four large families, is now a pile of rubble and waste.The demolition of homes without notice has been a subject of contention between residents and authorities in many areas in Cairo, and Khalawati is no exception. But Baha' Al-Din Ibrahim Hassan, the chairman of the local district, claims that notices were released 60 days before the date of demolition, the official time allowed for residents to appeal against the decision. According to Hassan, the reason why these buildings were destroyed was because nobody was living in them. "They were empty, Hassan told Daily News Egypt, "Of course we issued notices, but nobody lives there to receive them. Hassan insists that the residents in the house at the time of destruction were "people placed there by the owners of the house to give the security forces the impression they were occupied. Yet, none of the other residents whose houses are threatened with destruction received official notices either. According to residents, it was they who had to go to the local authority after hearing rumors that agreements were made with investors to clear away "empty houses that were allegedly built without the necessary licenses.Walking through Basatin, it is clear that these houses are anything but empty. Even the pile of ruins that stands precariously held together by the remnants of steel wiring still houses a makeshift living room. The Mansour family has taken refuge above the local mosque, but they have painful memories of their eviction. Nagla Mohamed said she was assaulted by police officers and had to be taken to the hospital to receive seven stitches to her head. Families also say they were dragged through the streets after trying to defend their homes. The question of who is to be held accountable for violent treatment is shrouded in allegations and counter allegations. While the local police claim it was government forces summoned by the authority that used violent means to evict residents, the residents themselves have accused local police.The case of Khalawati is riddled with allegations that merit further investigation. Residents claim that not only did Hassan accept bribes from prominent investors to agree to planning permission, but that bribes were handed over to engineers working for the local authorities to keep the notices from reaching the residents, and therefore depriving them of their right to appeal. There are more pressing issues that residents are demanding be addressed. Many houses have no access to running water or electricity with 60 percent of homes collecting water from the local factory. Although they can get access to electricity sources, many have been subjected to fines for "stealing electricity, despite the fact that it is a government company that provides them with this service. Um Tulba has been put in prison twice for obtaining electricity illegally. "We just want to live, she says, thrusting the contract for her house before me, "We are the ones who cleaned up this area. Before we came 15 years ago it was a dump. People would come here and do drugs. We cleaned it up, bought land and built houses legally. Now they want to throw us out. Where will we go? I am 76 years old. Where will I go, what will I do? Two months later and there might be a shaft of light at the end of the tunnel for some of these residents. Ahmed Abu Steet, political researcher and member of the Kefaya movement, has been at the forefront of the campaign to protect the residents of Basatin and ensure that their demands for basic amenities are met. On Nov. 26, in a meeting organized by Steet, community representatives and human rights lawyers met with Hassan, who confirmed that the local authorities would undertake extensive studies to discover which house owners had valid licenses. He also spoke of guidelines that would be followed to determine exactly which buildings should be spared, and agreed that those homes with licenses would be installed with amenities. Whether this means a success for the residents or not, only time will tell. But one thing is for certain: Whatever trust residents once had in the local authorities now lies somewhere deep under the rubble.
