No RAY of hope

Slum-dwellers divided as housing scheme hangs fire.

Keshav Nagar was selected for piloting the Rajiv Awas Yojana (RAY), which is part of the slum-free India project. Four years have passed, but the project has not made headway, while the residents are a divided lot due to perceived discrimination in benefits accorded/offered to them under the old and new housing schemes.

There is an undercurrent of resentment among some residents of Keshav Nagar, a slum, though they who ought to be entirely happy at being removed from squalid surroundings.

It all began when some of the households in the slum received about 100 sq yards each as part of the erstwhile Indira Awas Yojana scheme. They are now against the provision in the newly launched RAY that requires them to forgo 40 sq yards of their land. This being so, there are several others who are awaiting the allotment of houses under RAY.

Some of huts that benefited under the Indira Awas Yojana have since been converted into pucca houses. That is, huts were converted into independent houses on land measuring up to 100 square yards.

However, under RAY programme, the housing society will have a G+3 mainframe, with every house measuring 60 square yards. So, the pucca house owners would lose out 40 square yards of land, while people residing in huts do not want to lose a chance to have proper roof over their head.

Pavan, a resident of the slum, says, “There has been a tussle between the people, especially those living in huts. Recently some officials showed us a map of how Keshav Nagar would look upon implementation of the RAY programme. But, I haven’t seen them after that.”

Rajiv Awas Yojana (RAY)

The Rajiv Awas Yojana (RAY), a Government of India initiative to eradicate slums in cities, was launched in 2009. Under the scheme, slum dwellers are to be given permanent housing facilities. The scheme is being executed under Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM).

Keshav Nagar in Gowlidody was identified in 2009 for piloting the project. This slum has approximately 300 huts with 1,200 people. A sum of Rs 6.34 crore was sanctioned initially by the government, though money is yet to be released.

The Keshav Nagar slum is inhabited mostly by daily-wage labourers who work in stone quarries on the road leading to ISB. Though the slum saw none other than the Chief Minister lay the foundation stone, there has been no developmental work since then. In fact, because of the division, even the plaque at the foundation has been removed by irate residents. The project was scheduled to be completed in five years.

The slum lacks basic facilities like drinking water, sanitation, street lights and electricity. Residents say that rely on a few borewells. In the absence of power lines, some have resorted to illegal tapping of electricity. A piece of land nearby is used by residents as their common toilet!

On the whole, the residents are not happy as 7 acres, out of 12.10 acres of land, would go for development of commercial complex on PPP basis.

RAY not right

Many such housing projects in Mumbai and other cities have failed as slum dwellers sell these houses and return to open spaces and start living, say social activists.

Organisations like CHATRI (Campaign for Housing And Tenurial Rights) and MSI (Montfort Social Institute) have been opposing the RAY programme. They claim that this programme is against the spirit of the 74th Amendment of the Constitution. Col (retd) Narendra Reddy, member of MSI, says, “This slum was taken up on a pilot basis, but it completely lacks the slum-dwellers’ consent. It is being forced upon them. The people need to be involved. The population of the slum is very less and the slum is spread over 12 acres. The government wants to build them houses in four to five acres and mint money off the rest of the land by letting it out for commercial purpose.”

Apart from that, there is cultural conflict in these communities. “The people who live here are from the Banjara tribe. They do not like living above or beneath anyone as proposed in the G+3 model. They want to live in individual houses,” adds Narendra Reddy.

Kanthu, a daily wage labourer and resident of the slum, said, “We were informed that houses would be built for us, but till date nothing has been taken up in the slum. We earn close to Rs 5000 per month.”

Kanakaraju, another resident, says, “I would want to live in a bigger house with better facilities for my family. Recently I saw a few engineers and other officials conduct a survey of our slum. But, I have never seen them after that.”