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RUCHIRA PAUL
New Delhi, Mar 2 (.) Over the years, both central and state governments have launched multiple programmes and policies to facilitate slum redevelopment in India. This has often taken place through two methods, either through in-situ rehabilitation and infrastructure development in existing slums, or by rehabilitating slum dwellers to off-site locations. Rehabilitation, however, may or may not lead to welfare of slum dwellers.
According to the national Census held in 2011 in India, metropolitan cities are home to over 14 million people. Once the capital city of India, today over 30 per cent of the city’s inhabitants are slum dwellers. In Kolkata, lack of affordable housing has pushed many to informal settlements called ‘bastis’.
Empirical research has shown that redevelopment of slums often leads to improvement. This improvement includes loss of livelihood, joblessness, loss of community, loss of access to common resources, and marginalisation.
Rehabilitation and redevelopment throughout West Bengal have been advocated, but often not successfully executed. On several occasions, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation (MoHUPA) has allocated funds for slum redevelopment and rehabilitation in Kolkata, as well as in other districts of the state. However, many of these projects have ended up getting cancelled, curtailed, or dropped.
In 2011, the Kolkata Municipality Corporation implemented the Basic Services to Urban Poor (BSUP) mission, which aimed at providing better housing and facilities to the urban poor. This was part of the larger Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) which aims to provide basic amenities and necessities to low-income urban dwellers in 63 Indian cities. BSUP projects around the country have aimed to provide urban informal residents with formal housing, social security benefits, clean water supply, sanitation, and education.
Many redevelopment and rehabilitation projects were undertaken under this project, but many remain incomplete.
Specifically in Kolkata, redevelopment has, in the past, revolved around eviction with inadequate efforts of off-site rehabilitation. When rehabilitation is present, it often consists of barriers for many.
Rehabilitated families are often not given formal housing options, but temporary makeshift huts with shared toilets, built by the government on empty plots. The shift to these temporary structures caused distress amongst the residents, as it forced many to be separated from community, and made accessing workspaces difficult.
Rehabilitation to offsite housing projects in Kolkata has been met with protests, as many residents still prefer to live in slums.
Off-site redevelopment projects not only remove residents from familiar neighbourhoods but also come with maintenance costs. Inability to meet income requirements for high maintenance costs has contributed to collapse of infrastructure in many rehabilitated projects.
Another reason why off-site redevelopment fails is the assumption that slum dwellers fall under a homogenous group. Difference in income, religion, caste, and migration status can affect the rehabilitation process.
Slum redevelopment in India fails because it does not include participatory measures in planning or execution. Time and again, redevelopment projects use a top-down approach, where government bodies execute decisions without initiating conversations with slum residents.
Positive impact of redevelopment is possible when rehabilitation is done in-situ, includes participatory planning, provides quality housing, and takes into consideration needs of slum dwellers. It is essential for slum redevelopment projects to be foresighted, as short-term goals of rehabilitation alone have led to repeated failures.
Projects need to combine social security schemes with redevelopment projects, making sure that residents can adapt to a new space and lifestyle. Redevelopment is a socio-spatial phenomenon and therefore needs to take into special consideration the utility of spaces in slums. Slums are often used as both living and workspaces; residents and proliferate through construction of one or two- storey buildings in adjacent available plots. This allows usage of courtyard spaces for various income generating activities, as well as support community living, which is essential for many to support their jobs.
Rehabilitation into multi-storey buildings often actively contributes to a loss of income. Women, in particular, benefit from the spatial structure of slums, as it allows them to leave their children in the care of neighbours while attending work, or to carry out household chores such as cooking and washing laundry while remaining close to their children.
In Kolkata, there has been a severe lack of in-situ redevelopment and growth in gentrification. Redevelopment efforts in Kolkata have been inefficient, and off-site redevelopment has detrimental effects on slum dwellers.
Indian cities therefore need a strong shift toward in-situ redevelopment, where communities remain embedded in the existing space and neighbourhood. Such approaches must integrate upgraded infrastructure, secure tenure, and access to services, while being shaped through participatory planning and continuous dialogue with residents. Implementing an inclusive and gender-responsive lens is essential to ensure safety, accessibility, and economic opportunity for vulnerable groups.
(The writer is an Associate at the Cities Forum. The views are personal)
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