Slums: The bane of Mumbai

However,it is certainly an inalienable fact that slums detract from the overall quality of life – both of the slum dwellers and those living in the vicinity. In a city like Mumbai,rehabilitating slum-dwellers who have their settlements along railway tracks is probably the most important,since these slums reduce the efficiency of the transport system. By relocating slum dwellers,this land can be put to much better use and add to the city’s quality quotient. Redeveloped slums result in improved property demand within and around the said areas.

With slum redevelopment,large parcels of land can be opened up for proper development,thereby adding to supply in congested areas and exerting downward pressure on existing property rates. Moreover,demand increases because the area’s profile is given an upgrade. To aid slum redevelopment,the most progressive step the Government can take is encouragement of the PPP model. Many SRA schemes that follow this model have seen success in Mumbai,with names such as Akruti,HDIL,Unitech and Hiranandani coming readily to mind. It would not be inappropriate to state that the PPP model has managed to boost a name like Akruti to a high level of national recognition,despite the fact that the company has no significant land holdings in the city.

The PPP platform is currently a very workable one in cases where a slum rehabilitation proposal can be raised to the implementation level. The possibility that an even more progressive model will evolve cannot be discounted,however.

That said,there are certainly challenges to effective slum redevelopment. Most slums exist on unauthorised areas,on land which does not belong to the slum dwellers. Land ownership is a major issue. If a particular slum exists on government-owned land,this problem can potentially be overcome. However,if it is privately owned,there is often resistance from the owner in parting with it. Another challenge is the creation of a database of existing slum dwellers.

In Mumbai,there exists no authentic and acceptable record of slum dwellers for planning authorities to work with. This syndrome is true in most slum areas around the country. Also,while regulations and policies are in place for SRA,their implementation is important to avoid misuse of the liberated land.

There is also the problem of resistance – slum dwellers are very wary of any kind of proposed change in their accustomed way of life,since they live on a socio-psychological edge to begin with. The proposals that are being floated are progressive,but the slum dweller’s inherent insecurity and mistrust oppose their implementation. l

The author is local director (strategic consulting),Jones Lang LaSalle India