GHMC bent on making city worlds biggest slum

Hyderabad, Oct 3 (INN): If the definition of slum by the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation is true, then a project of Rs 12,000 crore to make the city slum-free in the next five years would cover almost the whole of the twin cities. Perusing the draft copy of the plan, which would be submitted at a standing committee meeting during this month, reveals that the Slum Free City Plan would commence from 2010-2011 and end in 2014-2015. According to the draft plan, the budget requirement is projected as Rs 1,640.76 crore. The Slum Free City Plan is part of the Rajiv Awas Yojana by the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation. The RAY will provide funds to the GHMC through the state government for implementation of the project.

According to statistics mentioned in the draft plan, there are a total of 1,454 slums across the GHMC limits. The draft plan states that as per the 2001 census, Hyderabad City has a slum population of 19,80,347 out of the total population of 55,11,046. This constitutes 35.9 per cent of the citys population living in slums.

The draft plan further says that the maximum number of slums (202) exist in circle-4 (the Old City) and the least number (7) in RC Puram. A closer analysis reveals that 66 per cent of the slums (numbering 965) occur in the seven circles of GHMC and the remaining 34 per cent in the surrounding areas (merged municipalities).

The draft plan defines a slum, as essential an urban phenomenon, is identified as an area within a city characterized by deteriorated buildings, unsanitary conditions, and high population densities. Slums are usually inhabited by the very poor or socially disadvantaged people. Most slums lack clean water, electricity, sanitation and other basic services, the identification of an area as a slum is based solely on socioeconomic criteria and not on racial, ethnic, or religious criteria.

If this definition is true, then, barring a few areas in the city like Jubilee Hills, Banjara Hills or Marredpally, Kundan Bagh etc, the project should cover the entire city. At least on or the other criteria mentioned in the definition is relevant to the one or the other part of the city. As the draft plan states, high density of population is prevalent in most parts of the city, with its population of over 55 lakh according to the 2001 Census.

If the projected figures are true, the population has already crossed one crore, especially in the light of the surrounding Municipalities having merged with the erstwhile MCH to form the GHMC. The draft plan also states that by 2041, the number of people living in slums will be over 1.51 crore, an increase of 174 per cent. The Rajiv Awas Yojana (RAY) for the slum dwellers and the urban poor was initiated to for a Slum-free India by encouraging States and Union territories to tackle the problem of slums in a definitive manner over a 5 year period.

According to the RAY, the Rs 12,000 crore would be spent on deficiency of water supply, deficiency of underground sewerage, deficiency of drainage, deficiency in roads, deficiency in street lights, deficiency in anganwadi and primary schools, deficiency in urban health centres, deficiency in livelihood centres and deficiency in multipurpose community resource centres.

These deficiencies essentially mean that almost the whole of the area under GHMC limits is a huge slum. Dharavi in Mumbai is considered the worlds largest slum. It seems that the GHMC wants this dubious honour for Hyderabad, once considered the richest city in the world.