Slum clearance an impossible task

By Lalit K. Jha

NEW DELHI, MAY 7.

Given the magnitude of the problem, and the ``slow speed'' at which it is being tackled, slum clusters are most likely to become a permanent feature of the Capital. This is not for of ``lack of will power'' alone, but primarily because of the ``practical difficulties'' in terms of availability of land in Delhi for any massive relocation drive.

As per latest estimates about 40 lakh people in Delhi live in nearly eight lakh hutments in over 1,500 slum clusters -- big or small -- across the Capital. These have blocked the development of over 2,500 acres of prime residential, green, institutional and commercial land in Delhi.

Even if the present policy of accommodating 1,000 families in five hectares on relocated land is followed, the land scarce Capital will require at least 4,000 hectares which means about 10,000 acres. The sub-city of Rohini in North-West Delhi is spread over 3,497 hectares.

Further the economics involved will almost be unbearable for the complete eradication of slum clusters. Even at the present cost of relocation of Rs. 70,000 per family, the entire process will cost a whooping Rs. 5,600 crores.

``It is unlikely that any fund of this massive nature will be made available for the slum relocation drive,'' argued a senior official of National Institute of Urban Affairs. ``Not only this, it will become difficult to provide the basic infrastructural facilities like safe drinking water, power and sewage especially as the Capital is already reeling under such a pressure,'' the official said. ``There would be the problem of providing and generating adequate employment opportunities for them''.

Officials dealing with slum issues at MCD, Delhi Development Authority, Delhi Urban Arts Commission, National Institute of Urban Affairs, and New Delhi Municipal Council, said such a drive would in fact mean creation of four million cities. ``Given the present circumstances, it is next to impossible to clear the Capital of these squatter settlements,'' they said.

The city's past record also does not augur well. Several schemes during 1962-67 with a special relocation effort between 1975-77, had resettled 2.4 lakh JJs in different parts of Delhi, at the end of which only 20,000 squattered households remained to be relocated.

During 1990-99 about 13,000 JJ households were relocated. In what has been claimed as a massive drive taken up last year, only a few thousand clusters have been relocated so far.

Even if the so far unsuccessful five-year target of the Slum Department 198-99 and 2002-03 is taken into account, it will take at least a few decades before the exercise is completed. According to it, about 1.72 lakh of slum clusters has been targetted to be relocated at an estimated cost of over Rs.1,000 crores. ``But not much progress has been done so far in this regard, as we are facing the major problem of land availability in Delhi,'' conceded a top Slum Department official. ``Probably no Government will spare a large chunk of land for such a purpose''.

Also not to be missed, the Delhi Government has been authorised to acquire 750 acres (303 hectares) on behalf of the Slum and JJ Department of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) specifically for this purpose. Despite the Slum Department has deposited Rs 62.70 crores for the past few years, not much land has been allocated.

``Whatever the repeated proclamations by the policy makers, politicians and bureaucrats, Delhiites would have to live with these dingy jhuggi jhonparis where lakhs will have no choice but to live in inhuman conditions,'' said a senior DDA official.

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