DDA’s slum rehabilitation project: A promise unfulfilled?

Delhi’s ambitious housing schemes for the poor illustrate a mismatch between policy and implementation, leaving many residents worse off than before.

Amidst the rubble of the present-day Bhoomiheen Camp, where most homes have been demolished, a few structures remain standing under a stay order, symbolising the incomplete rehabilitation projects in Delhi. | Photo Credit: Vitasta Kaul

“Hum toh jhuggi mein hi khush the (We were happier in our slum),” says Dipankar Malik, expressing a sense of disillusionment with his new living conditions. Malik received in 2023, a flat under the Delhi Development Authority’s (DDA) in-situ Slum Rehabilitation Project, which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2022. “Our government is leaving no stone unturned to fulfil the aspirations of citizens in Delhi,” Modi declared after handing over the newly constructed flats in Kalkaji, Delhi. “The aim of the Central government is to turn Delhi into a grand city complete with all amenities in accordance with its status as the capital of the country,” he said.

Housing for the economically disadvantaged has been a significant talking point for the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government. But the reality for many beneficiaries of housing schemes such as the “Jahan Jhuggi Wahan Makaan” and the “Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana” falls short of expectations.

These rehabilitation projects, originally launched under the previous United Progressive Alliance government in 2009, aimed to relocate slum dwellers from areas such as the Kathputli Colony, Kalkaji Extension, and Jailorwala Bagh into formal urban settlements. However, a visit to the new housing complexes reveals numerous issues, including unsanitary conditions, scarce water supply, and lack of security.

The congested housing in the society shows a disregard for private spaces, which residents claim they had in abundance at the Bhoomiheen camp. | Photo Credit: Vitasta Kaul

According to the Economic Survey of Delhi (2023-24), the capital’s population density is the highest among all States and Union Territories, at 11,320 persons per sq km, compared to the national average of 382, as of the 2011 Census. About one-third of Delhi’s residents live in substandard and unsafe housing, including 675 slum and jhuggi-jhopri (informal settlement) clusters, 1,797 unauthorised colonies, and 362 villages, which often lack basic services such as potable water, sanitary surroundings, and a reliable supply of electricity.

Master Plan for Delhi

The Master Plan for Delhi-2021 (MPD), managed by the DDA under the Central government, projected a need for 24 lakh new housing units, with 54 per cent required for Economically Weaker Sections and Lower Income Groups. Around 42 per cent of these units, approximately 10 lakh, were to be provided through densification and redevelopment of existing residential areas, covering in-situ slum rehabilitation, infill development, and redevelopment of unauthorised colonies.

Dunu Roy, Director of the Hazard Centre, an NGO focussed on research and policy analysis,points out a critical shortcoming in the DDA’s implementation of master plans: “The DDA does not provide housing for these people, even though it is in their plan document. In the last three master plans—spanning 60 years—the DDA has built roughly one-third of the housing they were supposed to. If you don’t build two-thirds of the housing, where is the population going to go? It either goes into unauthorised colonies or into slums, and that is what is happening.”

The DDA’s focus on high- and middle-income groups since the 2010s has further exacerbated the housing crisis for the urban poor. While the Authority claims to have “constructed or facilitated the construction of more than 10.65 lakh dwelling units, thereby ensuring shelter for more than half of the population of Delhi” since 1967, subsequent housing schemes have largely neglected the needs of the urban poor.

Public interest lawyer Prashant Bhushan criticises the government’s approach. “The urban poor are farthest from the government’s consideration. Only during [Prime Minister] V.P. Singh’s time was a policy made for the rehabilitation of slum dwellers. The current government does not consider them. They have been displacing and removing jhuggidwellers without rehabilitating them. It’s been going on rampantly.”

K.T. Ravindran, an architect and former head of urban design at the School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi questions the effectiveness of the latest Master Plan (MPD-2041), observing that while it addresses more issues than previous plans, it still falls short. He criticises the poor design of housing options for lower income groups. “Many of the housing options built in Delhi are so poorly designed that even the poor don’t want to live there, even if it’s given for free.”

Gap between planning and execution

The Kathputli Colony project highlights the gap between planning and execution. It was the first Public-Private Partnership (PPP) project for rehabilitating the urban poor in Delhi. The work was tendered to Raheja Developers in 2014, with a promise to provide 2,800 flats. However, despite these assurances, the slum dwellers were relocated to a transit camp in 2014, and even after a decade, they are still waiting for their promised flats.

Roy explains: “Initially, Kathputli Colony was an undeveloped area, but as the colony grew, infrastructure such as roads, hospitals, and a bus depot, was established. When redevelopment began, the agreement promised one-third of the land to developers and two-thirds to the residents. However, Raheja Developers and the DDA ended up taking two-thirds of the land, leaving only one-third for the original residents. This is a classic example of how land, which the poor have built up over the years, gets occupied.”

The housing complex in Govindpuri, Kalkaji Extension, was fully constructed and allotted to slum dwellers in 2022. Two years later, seepage and peeling paint reveal substandard construction.  | Photo Credit: Vedaant Lakhera  

In the DDA housing complex in Kalkaji, promised to the residents of Bhoomiheen Camp, residents face several challenges. Rukhsana, one of the residents, says, “We didn’t have water for a long time. Now, after some efforts, we have a water supply in our homes, but the water that comes isn’t potable. We can use it to wash our clothes or utensils, but we cannot drink it. Many of us are suffering from skin infections due to the poor quality of water.”

Despite being completed only two years ago, the buildings in Kalkaji are already showing signs of structural stress. “It is obvious that the construction is subpar. They have taken 1.5 lakhs for the construction, but still, many of us had to fish out more money to fix issues such as damp walls. Lifts are also unreliable, often breaking down even in the mornings when children need to go to school,” Rukhsana adds.

Dipankar Malik, who also lives in the new complex, points out, “Another problem is that 90 per cent of the flats have water seepage in the walls. Even the 14th floor walls are damp.” He also pointed out the issue of space, “Almost 60 per cent of houses are overcrowded and congested. When the flats were allotted, there was no consideration for the number of family members.”

Speaking to Frontline about the issues brought up by the residents, Junior Engineer Azad Ansari, said, “There is no problem of drinking water; it is being facilitated. If any problem arises, it is addressed. Nothing is neglected.”

Systemic inefficiencies

Out of the 3,024 flats promised to the residents, only about 1,862 have been allotted so far. Around 1,000 families are still awaiting their promised homes. Residents also criticised the DDA’s allotment (cut-off) policy, which restricts eligibility to those with identity documents (Aadhaar cards/voter ID cards/ration cards) dated after 2014.

Pappu Raza, a member of the Residents’ Welfare Association, says, “We were better off in the jhuggis. If someone loses their identity card, they will obviously apply for a new one. But the DDA looks at the new card and rejects their application without considering that they have been living in Bhoomiheen camp for a long time.” This policy has led to nearly 750 people filing a case in the Delhi High Court.

While branded as an “in-situ” rehabilitation project, the housing society is actually two kilometres from the original Bhoomiheen camp. This relocation has led to the loss of livelihoods for many residents. “After the relocation, most of us had to search for jobs elsewhere,” says Malik. Women in society often work as house help or in nearby factories, roles that have become more challenging with the increased distance.

In the present-day Bhoomiheen camp, only a few houses remain amidst the debris of demolished homes, protected from further demolition by the DDA by a Delhi High Court stay order. Mansoor Ali, who has lived in the camp all his life, said: “I could not get a flat because I didn’t have a ration card. Here, there is no chance that my house will survive. They have demolished so many homes; mine will also face the same fate.”

Poonam Devi, another resident, criticised the DDA’s stringent allotment policies: “We have lived here for almost 25 years. Just because the floor number of my semi-pucca dwelling in Bhoomiheen camp wasn’t mentioned in my Aadhaar card, I am not eligible for a flat.”

Ganpat Lal, Assistant Director of DDA’s In-Situ Rehabilitation Projects, who supervises the allotment and eligibility for the flats told Frontline:“There is a checklist to be followed, and once all the boxes are ticked and the documents verified they are allocated a flat. We are also considering opportunities for those who are currently ineligible.”

This failure to provide adequate housing not only reflects systemic inefficiencies but also constitutes a violation of the right to live with dignity. Prashant Bhushan says: “The right to live in a healthy and safe environment is being violated because of rampant commercial development without regard for planning norms. In my view, this violates people’s rights under Article 21. But who will stop them, except the courts?”

Grand promises vs harsh reality

The disparity between the grand promises of the DDA’s Master Plan and the harsh reality faced by its most destitute residents underscores a deeply entrenched issue within the capital’s housing strategy. While Delhi continues to grapple with population pressure and urban sprawl, successive MPDs have not adequately addressed the housing needs of the urban poor.

For Delhi to move forward, it is imperative that plans such as the MPD-2041 address these issues with a renewed focus on transparency, effective execution, and genuine support for the urban poor. Without substantial reforms, the cycle of disillusionment among Delhi’s most vulnerable population is likely to persist, leaving them to navigate a landscape of broken promises and inadequate support.

As Dipankar Malik concludes: “The only good part about coming here is that we can say that we are living in a colony: but the people are the same.” His words encapsulate the bittersweet reality of Delhi’s housing crisis.