Housing Policy in MCGM area post 1990: A Critical

Study of Slum Rehabilitation Scheme Under SRA. (Slum

Rehabilitation Authority)

There are many important years in the history of India, but as far as economic
history is concerned, the year 1991 has definitely to be termed as a “landmark”.
The economic reforms of the 1990s included, significant industrial and trade
liberalization, financial deregulation, improvements in supervisory and
regulatory systems and policies more conducive to privatization and Foreign
Direct Investment (FDI). The Liberalization, Privatization and Globalization
(LPG) policies of the government of India and opening up of FDI in the real
estate sector have brought a big boom in the development of large-scale private
townships variously known as Integrated, NRI or High-Tech townships. These
kinds of townships are coming up on the peripheral areas of large cities like
Mumbai, Pune, Delhi, Gurgaon, Chennai, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad and
Bangalore occupying areas up to 1000 acres and beyond. Rapid urban growth,
marked by the number of million plus cities increasing from 23 in 1991 to 35 in
2001, has led to the problems of urban sprawl, unregulated ribbon development,
increasing problems of inadequate urban infrastructure and deteriorating quality
of urban liveability.
The lack of planning that characterizes most suburban
growth has resulted in higher transportation costs in terms of money, time and
inconvenience for suburban residents, in higher public sector costs, in
undesirable land use patterns and in the inadequate supply of open spaces,
recreational facilities and other amenities. Overall, the unplanned and
uncontrolled rapid growth has resulted in serious negative effects on the urban
dwellers and their environment. Rapid urbanization gave birth to slums around
the city.
As per UN habitat reports (2008) 43% of urban population
in developing countries and 78% of those in developed countries lived in slums
only. As per UN calculation, by 2020 the slum population of the world would
be 1.43 billion. Urban population in India has grown from 78.9 million in 1961
to 286 million in 2001 and it is estimated to double in the next 25 years. An
estimate says nearly 25% of urban population i.e., 8 to 10 cr. below the poverty
line. A geographical inequality in the economic development is unavoidable,
especially in the cases like India where the rate of development is almost
unsustainable. This has been observed to lead to migration tendencies in
developing countries, speeding up the urbanization process . Rapid City growth
in developing countries is explained primarily by two major hypotheses: (1)
unsustainable growth in rural population, and (2) the fall of the agricultural
sector due to economic policies favouring urbanization. The difference in the
per-capita incomes of the population in low-income areas compared to the high-
income areas also is a factor promoting migration.Rural-urban migration in
addition to a high natural population growth aggravates the situation of surplus
labour in the urban areas. This in effect, reduces the average urban income,
which translates into a rise in the population of the urban poor, effectively
transforming rural poverty into urban poverty . The low rate of growth of
industrial employment and the high rate of rural-to-urban migration, lead to
uncontrolled urbanization involving a transition from rural unemployment to
excessive urban employment and underemployment.
Mumbai city is seen both as a land of dreams and
nightmare of struggles. It has all kinds of development, progress, culture and
social life etc. The city of Mumbai had been developed by the British for their
own interests in trade and commerce. Since the city has one of the most
important natural Sea coastlines, it attracts people from all walks of life very
much. Therefore, municipal governance focuses on the formal and informal
actors involved in decision making and implementing the decisions made. It is
the capital city of Maharashtra and the economic centre of India. Mumbai is a
place of opportunities hence every thousand migrants come to Mumbai from all
over the part of India for their livelihood. So, Mumbai is always a pride city in
India. But there is another side of Mumbai too which is very inhuman i.e., Slum
of Mumbai. Nearly more than 55% population Mumbai stays in slum while
10% stays in Pavement and 20% in the illegal, depleted Chawls means around
more than 80% population Mumbai stays in unhealthy, insecure, unhygienic
places upon always under threat of demolition, evacuation or loss of the house.
People compromise on facilities in order to live. In 1996, Mumbai was reported
to have the world’s highest real estate prices.
There is always a disparity between demand and supply
of affordable housing. Buying a house in Mumbai is always beyond imagination
because of the high prices, hence people adjust and accept slum
accommodation. Whereas said earlier they compromise on facilities. Which
gave growth to slum tenements. Currently more than 55% of the population of
Mumbai resides in slums and living inhuman conditions, which not only affects
mental and physical but also social health. It is a good sign of the welfare state
to give their citizens respectable life and protect their fundamental right “right
to life” (article 21).and improve human living conditions by providing them
basic facilities. The Maharashtra government now recognises slums and its
dwellers as an integral part of the city hence rehabilitation of slum is needed
instead of removal of slum.
To make it happen government replace SUP (Slum
upgrading Programme 1985) and SRD scheme (Slum Redevelopment
Programme 1991) to SRS (Slum rehabilitation scheme 1995) under the
suggestion of Dinesh Afzalpurkar Committee and independent development
body is formed called” Slum Rehabilitation Authority”, who had been given all
the authority to conduct SRS in Maharashtra. SRS is one of the good
benchmarks in the free housing scheme as compared to all housing schemes in
India. Where eligible slum dwellers are entitled to a free house on the same
land. Government role became facilitator and many private players entering into
SRS Slum rehabilitation scheme is needed to understand and implement
properly. Success of this scheme is not only giving free housing to poor slum
dwellers but it will save human beings. SRS is one of the most important
housing schemes in Mumbai as far as the population of slum dwellers is
concerned. Dharavi is one of the most populated slum pockets in Asia, which is
studied globally, which is part of Mumbai Slum. Study of SRS in MCGM area
will play an important role in all over part of India for slum rehabilitation. Many
private developers not able to fulfil their promises means they are not
completing the scheme, which has a great impact on slum dwellers who lost
their houses in the scheme. Those who are not getting rent as per the promises.
In this situation how SRA’s role is important. What
other development parameters can be checked instead of private developers to
make SRS successful? Mumbai is highly populated by slum as said earlier 80%
population lives in unhygienic and inhuman condition if we consider todays
Mumbai population 2 crore means more than 1.5 crore stays in slum or other
illegal and dangerous pavements, in whole world there is no such slum
population in one single town and which is the economic centre of the country.
If we look at the last 24 years SRA slum rehabilitation history (Slum
Rehabilitation Authority) only rehabilitated 2.06 lakhs family got new houses.
Which is less than 2% of the total population of the Mumbai slum. At this speed
we calculate slum free Mumbai time dreams, it will be 150 Years. Hence need
to understand the whole policy and its implementation psychology. Till date no
such policy study has been done on the slum of Mumbai or anywhere in the part
of the country or any research method or suggestion or planning is explored to
eradicate slum.
This study will definitely help not only to eradicate Mumbai slum but will be
useful to all over part of the country as per slum policy of the country.