Community participation framework for slum improvement - a case study of Bhopal slums

Abstract

In the modern era slums are not a new word to hear as it exists along with urbanisation. "Slums" are regularly used to portray informal settlements inside cities that have an inadequate housing with no proper sanitation, hopeless living conditions, most of the cases overcrowded. These are observed as the dark side of urbanisation process. According to UNHABITAT about 881 million people living in slums in which 30% of developing countries population lives in slum. Developing countries are the one who are quiet suffering from this problem. In case of Urban India there is about 17.4% of households lives in slum. For solving the issues of slums there are various steps taken in all over the world. As one of the first step taken by sir Robert Owen World who was also known as the founder of Utopian Socialism in 18th century. Robert model was quiet novel for the slums as they used the community participation for making the model successful. World Bank, UNHABITAT, The City Alliance and various countries also taken various step for problem. The process of slum upgrading started from mid-20th century and also developing itself for the batter and batter results. As in the mid-20th the slum upgrading approach were about physical infrastructure providing along with top-down approach but as the time passes changes takes place now it is overall development with the help of active participation of slums. Slum upgrading is a process through which informal areas are gradually improved, formalised and incorporated into the city itself, through extending land, services and citizenship to slum dwellers. It involves providing slum dwellers with the economic, social, institutional and community services available to other citizens. These services include legal (land tenure), physical (infrastructure), social (crime or education, for example) or economic. In India we normally observe that govt. started to work on slums from late 1956 as the slum area improvement and clearance act to the present time as the running scheme is “Pradhan Mantri Awas yojana” which started in 2015. There are few points we have to notice that in the meantime level of service providing for slums gradually increasing as if we compare to 1956 there was the time when slum people displaced to new places on the name of improvement and no facilities provided to them but in case of present areas various facilities are provided to slums. iii If we take a look on the result of last decade slum intervention projects, then we find out that for the successful implementation of projects there is a need for the involvement of slum communities in the process. As wherever the communities from slum actively involved in slum improvement projects the success ratio are quite high in these cases. Basic services for urban poor (BSUP) under Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) was the first project for slum upgrading in which community participation used in the process. Then comes the Rajiv Awas Yojana (RAY) there was a particular chapter for community participation in the slum upgrading process. Then comes the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) as it is the running project right now and more focused on community involvement for slum upgrading projects. More of the powers provided to community to act accordingly for their own. There is a need to match two very different things: a development project or program and a social process which having active participation of communities from the slums. As that is one of the reason because of which slum improvement projects become unsuccessful. Over 2 lakh homes constructed for the urban poor all over India are lying vacant, with Gujarat, Maharashtra, Delhi, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh accounting for 70 per cent of the stock. The dwelling units were built under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) and Rajiv Awas Yojana. This study research questions are as follows: How can we increase the impact of projects and the durability so they can be successful in their target? How can we measure the level of community participation in the slum and how can we increase it? To answer these question, we are conducting a detailed study in case of Bhopal slums with the supporting literature review. Aim of the study is to develop a framework of community participation for slum improvement. For this we derive four objectives and the methodology are as follows. To study various approach of slum interventions at national and international levels with focus on applied community participation. For achieving the 1st objective a detailed study made on community participation and notice all the points which going to help in our study. For this we selected national and international best approaches for slum interventions with focusing on community participation. In these case studies we selected seven successful slum improvement project using with community participation. To identify key parameters of community participation in slums. For achieving the 2nd objective we find out the key parameters which plays a role to make community iv participation effective and workable with the help of literature review done under 1st objective. End result of the 2nd objective was a matrix of Parameters which helps us to measure the level of Community participation in the slums. Parameters we found out are of two types flexible and non-flexible as example religious homogeneity of the slum as non-flexible and another example literacy rate of the slum as flexible parameter which we can change according to making some recommendations. To study community participation with respect to identified key parameters in case study area. Now we selected 2 slums in Bhopal where slum intervention projects are in process under different schemes. As one of the slum under Rajiv Awas Yajana (RAY), one from the latest Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) project. Questionnaire prepared according to parameters as we have to find out the value for making our hypothesis tested. The values we get inserted in our created matrix of parameter to find out the status of community participation in selected case study. After finding out the lacking parameters we can recommend the proper solution which will help us to enhance the values of community participation. Recommendation of guidelines for community participation in slums. From the study we find out the flexible parameters which effects community participation in slums so the guidelines suggested for improving these flexible parameters. Data collection process completed in three parts as first of all we have to prepare questionnaire on the basis our need with the help of gaining from literature review. The questionnaire should have to be filled with all needed thing mentioned which we have to collect. In our first step of data collection we divide it into two parts primary survey which we will conducting on the case study site. Visual survey (photographic documentation) which will help us to find out the characteristics of site. Public survey which includes questionnaire focusing with the perimeters of community participation so we can carry out the key statics for the comparison of approach taken place by slum intervention implementing authority. significance of community participation in slum. The scope of the study is to find out the parameters which effects the community participation and helps us to measure the level of participation in the slum. For checking our hypothesis, as we have to prove it in real. We have selected two slums in which slum intervention projects are in progress. Slum should have to be from different slum improvement projects. Characteristics of selected slums should have to be different. As the 1st slum case of Gautam Nagar where RAY is still under process v where dwelling units are allotted to 1/3rd of slum households. 2nd slum the case of Rahul Nagar PMAY is in progress of its first phase where identification of beneficiaries is taking place. If we talk about Rahul Nagar, then few points which signifies us the community participation. NGOs working in Rahul Nagar are EKA (UNICEF funded) and Rotaract Manit Club. Majority of slum people are migrated from Madhya Pradesh following with Uttar Pradesh Maharashtra and Bihar. Low class labour is the majority of slum population. PMAY scheme is in progress. As for the PMAY twice the survey has conducted once by PMAY cell and once by the hired intermediate NGO SWAPNIL but both times they not explained them clearly about the process and the relevant details which they have to explain. Majority of people even not aware about PMAY and RAY. In few areas basic infrastructure is lacking as Sanitation facilities are quite low even electricity connection are not provided to all households of slums as they have Illegal electricity connection. EKA NGOs is quite active and have the volunteers from the slum only. Also for all type problem the approached to EKA NGOs office, which is within the slum only. In case of Gautam Nagar it is a 40–50 years old slum, in which one third household relocated under RAY in Nearby 12 no Slum Apartments. Most of the residents in this slum are migrants from Maharashtra. Since this slum is close to Arera Colony, a posh residential area of the city, most of the women from the slum work as domestic help in the nearby houses. They have CBOs which is based on Mahila Sangathan works for providing Loans. Meetings takes place weekly basis. Looking at the conditions in new housing settlements, poor people want to stay in the same place and do not want to get a new house. These families think that they have freedom to mould their houses as per their wish. Only a few literate people know about RAY and PMAY. After comparing the values of parameters in both slums we got that score of Rahul Nagar is quite low which signifies us the less chances of community participation but in case of Gautam Nagar score is high which shows more chances of community participation. As now from the scoring we know which parameters are lacking due to which community participation chances are hindering. We can just tackle these parameters which are lacking directly will enhances the values of parameters. Now coming to proposal part as in this study we found out the parameters which let us know scoring of community participation in slum. On top of that in these parameters few parameters are like which we cannot change as the religious homogeneity of the vi slum but there are also some parameters which are flexible and can be change as literacy status of the particular slum if proper solution provided to them. So in the proposal part we provided recommendation for flexible parameters. Which will help to enhances the value of participation and indirectly helps the slum for making the development more flexible.