 "Jailorwala Bagh slum cluster in North Delhi’s Ashok Vihar. Housing has been a pressing issue for Delhi’s 20 mn inhabitants Photo: Rakshit Kumar")
Every morning, as Shyam Dev Chaudhary trudges home from an exhausting night shift, he is greeted by the silhouette of an under-construction housing complex, rising next to his modest abode. This building symbolises the promise of a brighter future under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Urban (PMAY-U).
Chaudhary is among the 1,396 residents of the Jailorwala Bagh slum cluster in North Delhi’s Ashok Vihar, who are eagerly awaiting their new homes. Having weathered two decades in the slum, he is no stranger to the recurrent deferrals in flat allotment, originally slated for May 2022. “They (the Delhi Development Authority, or DDA) say it would take another year,” he notes, pointing out that essential amenities like water connections and lift service are still in the pipeline. The DDA is the nodal agency for the redevelopment of slum clusters on central government land in Delhi. Delays notwithstanding, the Jailorwala Bagh project seems to be serving its political purpose for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The 14-storey building is a
tangible showpiece, showcasing the party's commitment to the slum dwellers. Party workers have been conducting tours of the building for residents of other slums, promising them a similar upgrade, reveals a resident.
Housing has been a pressing issue for a significant portion of Delhi's 20 million inhabitants. The issue flared up when the DDA razed nearly 10 slums in the first half of 2023, in the run-up to the G20 Summit.
Consequently, the Centre’s housing schemes, such as the PMAY-U and the Prime Minister Unauthorised Colonies in Delhi Awas Adhikar Yojana (PM UDAY), have taken centre stage in the BJP’s campaigning. The party's manifesto pledges “new policies to construct houses on slum land so low-income families can be rehabilitated into high-quality houses”.
As on May 20, 2024, all the 29,976 houses sanctioned in Delhi under the PMAY-U had been completed, with a total investment of Rs 5,696.05 crore and full central assistance of Rs 692.53 crore.
Launched in 2019, the PM UDAY is expected to benefit the 4 million residents of 1,731 unauthorised colonies in the city. The DDA website shows that of the 121,550 applicants, over 23,000 had received ownership rights by May 17, 2024.
Anagha J, a programme officer at the advocacy group Housing and Land Rights Network, believes that in-situ slum rehabilitation projects are a step in the right direction, but notes: “There are many elements that constitute adequate housing. It needs to be culturally adequate for the community in focus, affordable, and support their livelihood. Allied social services like hospitals, schools, and anganwadi centres are essential.”
In March 2022, Union Housing Minister Hardeep Singh Puri announced that the scheme for in-situ slum rehabilitation would benefit over 5 million people in Delhi by providing them with “pucca” houses. However, Chaudhary, who has already deposited Rs 1.76 lakh for the flat, harbours doubts about his impending relocation. “35 gaz me 6 logon ka guzara kaise hoga (How will a family of six manage to live in an area of 28 sq metres)?,” he wonders.
His apprehension is echoed by some of the PMAY-U beneficiaries in Southeast Delhi’s Kalkaji Extension. “Two of my three sons live on rent nearby,” shares 62-year-old Bon Kumar, who previously resided with his family in Bhoomiheen Camp. He found the 25-sq meters flat too cramped to accommodate his two married sons. Asked if he would vote for the BJP, whose government has provided him with the flat, he responds: “It (the flat) looks good to others, but we know the reality.”
The Kalkaji project, which saw the construction of 3,024 flats at a cost of approximately Rs 345 crore, was inaugurated by PM Narendra Modi in November 2022. However, the flats were only allotted five months later, in March 2023, according to 60-year old Shanti Devi.
“Before allocation, we were shown a two-room flat but we have been given a one-room flat,” she alleges. After paying Rs 1.42 lakh for the flat and living there for just over a year, she claims to be dealing with issues like cracks and dampness in walls, broken floor tiles, irregular water supply, and poor sanitation in the complex.
She believes that life was better in a jhuggi. “It (jhuggi) looked bad (to others) but there was adequate space to live. We had all the facilities. Everyone would see and talk to each other.”
Manju Devi, of East Delhi’s Shakarpur Khas, has similar complaints. “Clogged sewer remains a problem,” she says, even as Mohammad Habib, who has been living in the same area since 1980, claims marked improvement in the area’s infrastructure since the launch of the PM UDAY.
Under the PM UDAY scheme a special development fund was to be established for developing social infrastructure in the 1,731 colonies, as these areas lacked sewer lines, water connections, and recreational areas. Emails sent to the DDA regarding the scheme went unanswered.
