Slumrashtra

A preliminary study by the National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO) has revealed that Maharashtra, one of the country’s most progressive states, has the dubious distinction of housing the largest slum population in India. According to a senior official in the housing department, the NSSO report pegs the current slum population in the state at 1.81 crore, an increase of a whopping 38 lakh in one decade. In Mumbai too, there has been a marked rise—the 58 lakh slum population in 2001 has crossed the 70-lakh mark as of March 2011. The shanty populace of other cities and states is much lower—while Delhi stands at 31.63 lakh, Karnataka is 36.31 lakh, Gujarat 46.62 lakh, Madhya Pradesh 63.93 lakh, UP 1.08 crore and West Bengal 85.46 lakh. The total slum population of the country, which was 7.52 crore in 2001, is 9.3 crore today. The official said that although the government had drafted an ambitious plan for a slum-free India, and the state government too had a Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA), they were unable to halt the ever-increasing shanties, particularly in Mumbai. “Since the setting up of the SRA, we have constructed 1.47 lakh tenements,” he said. “One lakh, seventy thousand are under construction. But all our efforts are inadequate in the face of the growing slum population.” A senior bureaucrat said that a lack of political will had led to the mushrooming of slums in Maharashtra, particularly Mumbai. “In 1995, when the Shiv Sena-BJP government assumed power, it promised free housing to the 60 lakh slum dwellers registered on the electoral rolls till January 1, 1995. After this grandiose pledge, it was assumed that the government would ensure that no new slums were created in the metropolis. However, no steps were taken, and as a result, the slum population has gone up from 58 lakh in 2001 to 70 lakh in 2011,'' he said. The bureaucrat added that Mumbai could not be compared to any other city in the country, since well over 300 families come here every day in search of work and then settle here forever. “The Centre must allocate special funds for the rehabilitation of Mumbai’s slum dwellers, otherwise this ever-increasing slum population will have an adverse impact on the civic infrastructure,” he said. While the bureaucrat agreed that the Centre's slum-free India proposal was a good concept, he said it might not be implementable in a state like Maharashtra where there are thousands of slums. “The Centre's slum-free India envisages transfer of land in the name of slum dwellers,” he said. “That may not be possible in Mumbai where so many thousands of structures have come up on lands belonging to the central and state government. Besides, the proposal requires adequate contribution from the slumdweller for participation in the scheme. Both the proposals are not feasible,'' he pointed out.