Most slum redevelopment schemes although started with noble intentions,remain stalled despite the availability of funds. The usual reasons are disputes involving ownership,and resistance by the slum dwellers to land acquisition ironic,for they are the supposed beneficiaries of the project. A slum rehabilitation project in Pune,however,has tided over these hindrances and is on course to achieving its goal. The project,financed under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Scheme (JNNURM),is redeveloping the slums in-situ with the involvement multiple stakeholders: Central and state governments,local civic body,local political leadership,NGOs and most important,the slum dwellers themselves. The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has undertaken the project under the Central governments scheme of Basic Services for the Urban Poor (BSUP) under the JNNURM,to upgrade seven high-density slum areas in Yerwada,a slum-dominated locality. A key aim of this project is to allow slum dwellers to maintain and nurture their emotional bonds with the land they live on,while raising their standard of housing. The project commenced in April 2009. PMC received funds for slum upgradation for 4,000 households. The cost of building each tenement was fixed at Rs 3 lakh. Out of this amount the Central government provided 50 per cent,state government 20 per cent,the PMC 20 per cent while the beneficiary had to contribute remaining 10 per cent of the cost. Seven slums in Yerwada were selected for the upgradation. These slums are multicultural,housing people of different socio-economic backgrounds that has translated into the varying house types. Some are permanent structures,others have kutcha houses made of wood and tin sheets,while a third type is dilapidated with poor lighting,ventilation and sanitation. Out of these,only kutcha houses were selected as beneficiaries. Community Involvement Community-based NGOs working with slum dwellers have played a pivotal role in project implementation. Mahila Milan,an NGO working among the women residents for socio-economic upliftment,the National Slum Dwellers Federation (NSDF) along with the Society for the Promotion of Area Resource Centres (SPARC) undertook the responsibility for appointing architects,consultants,monitoring quality,estimating costs and keeping a tab on finances. They identified the beneficiaries and got the designs approved by the civic authorities. In addition,they have performed one novel task: got the beneficiaries to approve the design for their home,thereby giving them a say in their future. They also helped the beneficiaries in finding transit accommodation and resolved disputes involving land. The carpet area for each home was 270 sq ft. However,some owned larger plots and some smaller. It took months of dialogue,but we were clear that construction would not start without reaching a consensus, said Savita Sonawane of Mahila Milan. NGOs carried out a socio-economic and biometric survey of all the residents living in the slum. For instance,a carpenter or daily wage worker living in the slum could be employed by the contractor for this project,creating a source of income for the person and further enhancing the sense of involvement with the project. Several community meetings were organised in which the local corporator introduced the project. The architectural team explained the designs after which beneficiaries satisfied with the design,financial aspects and other issues signed the consent form. To enable beneficiaries in understanding the design,a 1:1 scale model of bamboo and cloth was built. The suggestions of the individual house owners were discussed and incorporated, said Prasanna Desai,a Pune-based architect who designed the houses. Design Challenges For Desai,the challenge was to design feasible building types that merged with the existing fabric of the slums,with an aim to provide better living conditions by improving sanitation,lighting and ventilation. Rather than imposing a design,the beneficiaries were given new houses on the existing own footprint,with a tailor made design,within the framework of BSUP,JNNURM and PMC norms, said Desai. The attempt was to retain the overall fabric of the slum in terms of existing street patterns and footprints. As far as possible,the design was contained within the existing footprint of the kutcha houses. Owners of larger plots were urged to surrender a part in the larger interest of the community,making it possible to widen the existing streets for better accessibility and create community interaction spaces. As the design task was intertwined with various layers of public participation and negotiations,no two houses have the same design. Hence the task involved understanding the needs,problems,psyche and on ground site conditions of the beneficiaries and discussing the designs of the individual house and cluster houses with them, said Desai. Currently,225 houses have been built and about 140 families have moved in. The project is scheduled to be completed in March 2012. Suresh Ashok Sharma,is a beneficiary of the scheme who has moved from his tin sheet dwelling. The meetings that took place over several months allayed all fears and cleared all doubts. In the new house we have proper sanitation facilities. We are happy. atikh.rashid@expressindia.com
