On 11
November, news broke that New Delhi’s Athletes’ Village for the 2010
Commonwealth Games was in jeopardy as environmentalists petitioned the
High Court to halt construction on the green banks of the Yamuna River.
For many of the residents of South East Asia’s biggest resettlement
colony, this area, Lakshmi Nagar, was home.
In 2010, the worlds’ attention will be focused on Delhi as it plays host to the International Commonwealth Games. Keen to present itself as a modern metropolis, the city is undergoing massive redevelopment. The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has been heavily criticised for its disorganised handling of inner-city slums relocation, which has seemingly been rushed in order to achieve “urban beautification” in time for the games.
But what happens to these families after eviction? Some 7,000 of them now find themselves on an 18-month-old resettlement colony called Savda Ghewra, on the outskirts of Delhi, to struggle on with the multitude of problems that come with “relocation”. Recovering from the mental anguish caused by the demolition drive, the “more fortunate ones” are now here - dislocated from the city. The resettlement area is located to the northwest of Delhi, near the Tikri border, and is currently only about one third occupied. When fully developed, it is likely to be the biggest resettlement colony in South East Asia. In the next two years, it is expected to be home to a further 13,000 families, reaching a capacity of 20,000 families.
For the past few months, a group from London Metropolitan University’s School of Architecture and Spatial Design, in collaboration with the non-governmental organisation CURE (Centre for Urban and Regional Excellence), have spent time examining the existing infrastructures of the resettlement colony and how the government tackles the re-housing of illegal dwellers from slums or basti, as they are known locally.
First impressions of Savda Ghewra were disappointing for Shamoon Patwari of LMU who said: “I was expecting something a little more organised in terms of infrastructure. When you visit the illegal slums, even then there is a sense of organisation/community mobilisation and hierarchy.”
This social scenario is an alienating experience. Patwari explained: “Normal social structures do not seem to work here and, due to the government’s poor attention to water shortages and sanitation issues, this has led to a sort of blame culture among its residents.”
Twice a week, a crushing scrabble occurs as tankers bring in water supplies; none of Savda Ghewra is supplied with mains water; this provision has unjustly been postponed until full occupation. Only a few industrial buildings are seen to the south of the site and the 250 acres of monotonous allotment-sized plots are surrounded by rural landscape. Perhaps the happiest residents of Savda Ghewra are the goats kept to provide milk and paneer (cheese), roaming freely to eat any shoots of herbs and shrubs.
Many of the people who have managed to remain employed work close to the areas they were “relocated” from, 40 km away. In contrast to the hectic traffic of Delhi, only two bus services run each day, with a four-hour round trip to the city. Of the 17,189 people in this resettlement area, only two of them own cars. With 81% of families already in possession of ration cards, their resettlement to Savda Ghewra has resulted in a further shrinking of income which has forced them to deplete savings and take on considerable bank loans to pay for the 7,000 rupee five-year lease.
The Times of India reported, in 2007, subsequent injustice over plot allocations. A millionaire land vendor, with assistance from associates from the MCD, was accused of gaining plots under the names of non-existent applicants by submitting fake documentation. Subsequently, they sold on these plots, making millions of rupees in the deal.
Just maybe you could say that Savda Ghewra residents have a future, as they were living before in dense, illegal slums. And, on paper, it would seem that way, provided with help in this government-led initiative; but in truth, it is only the MCD toying with the aspiration of land ownership.Odel Jeffries of LUM explained: “They sell it as a secure environment, but none of its infrastructure is put in place. The people have no choice; they have to move and are offered this as an only option.”
He said: “People are reluctant to set up their homes here. There is uncertainty in the tenure after five years.”
As a consequence, the quality of the houses can vary. Poorer families tend to build kutcha houses made of cheap materials such as cloth, woven bamboo and plastic sheets. Wealthier families build pukka houses from brick, concrete and corrugated sheets. The temporary nature of the structures means they are considered as simply allocated plots instead of homes. Establishing a sense of communal cohesion becomes a main problem with this.
As for solutions for the colony, with this in mind, the LMU and CURE are working on developing employment opportunities within Savda Ghewra. Patwari said: “Less planning and more social enterprises should be developed. Aside from connecting Savda Ghewra to the water mains and supplying adequate roads and drains, these communities need to feel empowered to change their environment themselves. Less restriction in building terms and more emphasis on communal centres will allow Savda Ghewra to develop in a more organic and personal way to its residents.”
This notion is confirmed by CURE which holds business and craft workshops aimed to ignite an entrepreneurial economy.
Meanwhile, building has been resumed at the Athletes’ Village site and India’s richest city continues in its preoccupation with the Games. For the influx of world class athletes, supporters, tourists and media, Delhi will present a state-of-the-art velodrome, expanded airport, luxury hotels and an extended metro system. But traces of slums? Out of sight.