FROM SLUM TO NON SLUM

Rehabilitation Building in Bandra West

Rehabilitation Builiding under Construction in APLR Site

 

Excerpts from a letter dated 4.3.02 written by Mr.Adolf Tragler, Director of SRS, to the participants of Indian Habitat Forum in Tiruvananthapuram.

India’s National Slum Policy states under 'Essential Strategic Interventions', point 3:

"The urban local bodies (ULB) should de-list settlements which have been provided with a sustainable level of basic services and where socio-economic indicators have reached defined acceptable norms. ULBs may also consider prescribing a certain period of time (two or three years) for providing basic services under any slum development programmes, after which the area should be reviewed for de-listing"

In Mumbai, we have very stiff provisions for changing from slum to non-slum.  These provisions are not for imitation elsewhere but can serve as illustration:

1)   The slum area must be existing prior to   01-01-1995.

2)   The occupants must form themselves into co-operative housing societies.

3)   Each family should have a housing unit of 225 sq.ft. carpet area.  These tenements must be self contained (with own electric and water supply, toilet etc.)

4)   For every 100 residential/commercial members, the society should have one tenement for a Balwadi, and one tenement for a Welfare Centre.  Each Society should also have one tenement for society office.

5)   The colony must have a motorable access and internal foot- paths of prescribed dimensions:

·            3 metre wide if 50 metre long

·            2.5 metre wide if 40 metre long

·            2 metre wide if 30 metre long

·            1.5 metre wide if 20 metre long.

 

By implication , if any footpath is longer than 50m, an additional or extension of a motorable road will have to be provided in the colony.

6)   Families who have been accommodated in multistoried buildings, are entitled to property tax concessions for a period of 20 years (10 years 20% payable, 5 years 50% and another 5 years 80% payable).

 

In Mumbai, with very high densities in slum areas, provision of all these requirements is usually possible only by vertical expansion. Multistoried buildings, at least on the major part of the colony, become unavoidable. As a result, some open space for accommodating the ground level water storage tank with the pump house and hopefully also a few trees and swings for children to play, have also to be planned.

Due to high costs and lack of institutional finance (at present land titles are granted only after the entire planning is done and executed), the progress is bound to be very slow so that percentage-wise, the slum population goes on increasing. Presently, about 65% of Mumbai's population live in slums.

We know that things can improve only if :

·            Land titles are granted earlier and institutional finance becomes available

·            The Valmiki Ambedkar Awas Yojana for the poor becomes operational.

·            People themselves, their own construction teams, learn construction of buildings, by using simpler construction methods.