Each time slums are vacated in Chandigarh, a human value must be paid as hundreds dwelling there are displaced.
Whereas these eligible are allotted different housing, the remainder find yourself in metropolis’s villages or within the peripheral areas, like Zirakpur and Nayagaon, the place they’re compelled to stay in congested dwelling items, typically even worse than the slums, spurring progress of recent slums.
Capital of two states, the Metropolis Stunning, regardless of its restricted land assets, has been largely left to fend for itself in terms of rehabilitating the city poor, who can’t afford the costly land in Chandigarh.
Chandigarh Grasp Plan 2031 (CMP-2031) has advocated for a regional metropolitan plan for addressing such points. Punjab has proven reluctance on the difficulty, regardless of a push from the Centre.
In keeping with Rajnish Wattas, former principal of the Chandigarh Faculty of Structure, Chandigarh must handle the robust balancing act of properly utilizing the scarce vacant land for rehabilitation and in addition realising that it can’t be a everlasting resolution for wave after wave of migrant staff shifting to the town.
“Chandigarh additionally wants cooperation from the neighbouring states for housing the city poor. A metropolis can’t enjoy solely beauty magnificence when financial disparities exist,” he stated.
Former UT chief architect Sumit Kaur stated, “There may be an pressing want for the neighbouring states to extend provision for housing for the city poor to scale back strain on the restricted undeveloped land left with Chandigarh.
Housing coverage
“As a substitute of beginning with pre-conceived notions, the administration can undertake a complete survey of housing wants of various segments. Such findings ought to change into foundation of the housing coverage,” stated Kaur.
Full utilisation of village land by way of village improvement plan should even be ensured as scarce land is obtainable with metropolis.
A part of the framing of the town’s first complete plan for rehabilitation in 2006, former Chandigarh MP Pawan Bansal stated, “New encroachments should be stopped strictly. However on the identical time, the federal government has to ship on the much-hyped housing schemes for the poor. A humane contact have to be there.”
The UT administration, not identified for involving the stakeholders whereas taking selections impacting them, must also contain slum dwellers and concrete poor whereas devising housing for them, counsel consultants.
In-situ rehabilitation
Anu Sabhlok, tutorial professor, IISER Mohali, stated, “Take into account the case of Colony Quantity 4. Folks had been dwelling there for nearly half a decade. They’d electrical energy and water connections. That was there formally accepted deal with for ration playing cards, passports and different official paperwork. On this state of affairs, the administration ought to present in-situ improved infrastructure to them, fairly than uprooting them.”
AAP convener Prem Garg additionally instructed that condominium complexes with higher infrastructure could possibly be constructed within the present slum areas for slum dwellers.
Experiments in different states
Although aiming to be the primary metropolis within the nation to be declared “slum free”, Chandigarh has a lot to be taught from different states’ expertise in rehabilitation.
R Srinivas, city and nation planner, Union ministry of housing and concrete affairs, stated, “Gujarat has had a lot success by involving the personal sector within the rehabilitation course of. Builders are supplied to commercially monetise a portion of a slum’s land and in lieu of this, they’ve to supply housing to the slum dwellers on the identical piece of land both on subsidised charges or freed from value.”
Different states like Maharashtra, who launched comparable insurance policies, skilled blended outcomes.
Tech for enforcement
With handbook surveillance of slums’ enlargement failing, newer expertise must be tapped in.
Chandigarh deputy commissioner Vinay Pratap Singh stated, “We’ve to usher in expertise to examine mushrooming of slums. Guide checks haven’t proved very efficient as officers get transferred and nexus develops. We’re planning to make use of satellite tv for pc imagery extensively. Together with it, tailor-made software program will alert each 15 days about any encroachments cropping up on public land.”
Chandigarh Grasp Plan solutions
In-situ improvement of unauthorised settlements
Rental housing for short-term keep of migrants to keep away from slums
Provision for lodging of home servants in above one kanal homes
Strict examine on unlawful encroachments
Involving slum dwellers as stakeholders within the planning of housing for city poor
Primary shelter and companies, together with ingesting water, rest room amenities and drainage, for cycle rickshaw pullers dwelling at rickshaw stands.
