Dorm for the migrant

The migrant labourers journey from villages and small towns to metropolises,a movement marked by despair and hope,has defined our time and our spaces. In urban clusters,old identities of caste and creed give way to new identities of where you work and live and how much you earn and what is obtained of your earnings. One of the greatest challenges of our cities,of urban planning,especially as the affordable periphery has been pushed farther off in the distance as cities expand and real estate prices shoot up,has been integrating those who arrive to find jobs or start small businesses. Their work is vital for the cities but more importantly,finding ways to accommodate their aspirations is crucial to honour an essential social contract.

Delhi has always been a city of migrants,but today it poses formidable challenges to the new arrival. Now it is evolving a programme for the economically weakest of them all the migrant labourer. The Delhi government will allot dormitory facilities for about 29,000 labourers 19,000 at Kanjhawala in northwest Delhi and another 10,000 in Najafgarh. This,of course,takes care of one of the primary needs of this urban workforce safe and affordable housing. The blueprint incorporates convenient stores,sewage-treatment plants and common kitchens. More importantly,these centres will also provide skill-development programmes and vocational training this is important. Enabling an individual to access greater opportunities is a surer and more efficient way to give social change momentum,than offering schemes that guarantee only minimum employment.

As India rapidly urbanises,migrants can become part of the citys energetic economy rather than be defeated by it. For the city to triumph,it needs to be a shared space for its residents.