The BMC’s development plan (DP) 2034 is silent on slum settlers, thus ignoring half the city’s population in the new development paradigm, said citizen’s rights groups here on Wednesday.
Urban planning watchers felt the slum rehabilitation authority (SRA) as a separate entity looking into slum development was restricted in its approach as looking at the issue in terms of occupied land rather than taking the slum dwellers into consideration.
“The SRA has only mapped land with slum dwellers. The perspective is that the land must come to the government for redevelopment. It is looking into claims only till 2004, but what about those who came after 2004? Slums have been left out of the planning process. The corporation has to address slums. It cannot wash its hands of the 53 per cent who live in slums. The SRA is conducting a biometric survey,” Sitaram Shelar of Hamara Shehar Mumbai Abhiyaan said.
Mr Shelar cited examples of the redevelopment sites where no water connections were provided to the rehabilitated slum dwellers. “The BMC should conduct a socio-economic and cultural survey. Who are the people living in the slums? What are their occupations and skills? What kind of human resource do they constitute? All that needs to fit in the development paradigm. That will only decide eligibility.”
Mumbai’s M ward, which is among the poorest slum pockets in terms of amenities, has given a set of recommendations to the civic authorities for effective use of vacant land for schools and other public utilities. Not just the slums, but affordable housing has also been given the short shrift in the DP with focus on high-income houses, a large number of which remains vacant. Even cluster redevelopment schemes, MHADA, and BIT chawl redevelopment have been left out of the DP.
The thrust of the DP is towards privately-owned recreational spaces as opposed to public open spaces, pointed out Arvind Unni, a campaign member.
Women’s workforce
The campaigners welcomed the provision for ward-based care centres and multipurpose housing in industrial zones for women. “This is recognition of the need to increase women’s participation in the workforce. We need more such centres in dense industrial zones,” said activist Nandita Shah of Akshara.
The writer is a freelancer
Urban planning watchers feel the SRA is restricted in
its approach
