Slums

Thousands left homeless as fire in Bangladesh slum destroys 1,500 shanties

A fire in a crowded slum in Bangladesh's capital has burned or damaged 1,500 shanties, leaving thousands homeless, authorities said Wednesday. No casualties were reported. The blaze, which began Tuesday evening at the Korail slum in Dhaka, was doused Wednesday after 16 hours, said Rashed Bin Khalid, a duty officer at the Department of Fire Service and Civil Defense. The fire service's director, Lt Col Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury, said about 1,500 shanties were burned or damaged in the blaze and thousands remained homeless. According to official data, about 60,000 families many of them climate refugees live in the slum which has an area of more than 160 acres (65 hectares). The slum straddles Dhaka's upscale Gulshan and Banani neighbourhoods, and it is surrounded by clusters of high-rise apartment and office buildings. Heavy smoke blanketed the area as flames engulfed the dwellings overnight. On Wednesday, the residents who lost their homes were desperate to collect their ...

Three-storey chawl collapses in Bandra; search and rescue efforts on

A three-storey chawl collapsed in the western suburb of Bandra here in the early hours of Friday, with at least 10 people feared trapped in the debris, civic officials said. As many as seven people have been rescued from the debris so far and admitted to the civic-run Bhabha Hospital, they said. According to preliminary information, chawl number 37 in the Bharat Nagar area of Bandra East collapsed around 5.56 am. Eight fire engines are at the spot along with teams from the Mumbai police and the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's local ward machinery, an official from the fire brigade said. "Search and rescue operation is underway. Further details are awaited," he said.

Maharashtra govt passes bill allowing SRA to recover pending transit dues

The Maharashtra Assembly passed a bill amending the Slum Area (Improvement, Clearance and Redevelopment) Act, 1971, on Wednesday, which allows the Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) to recover pending transit rent dues from builders or developers. The amendment bill seeks to treat unpaid rent to slum dwellers as arrears of land revenue, thereby empowering the SRA to initiate recovery proceedings under the Maharashtra Land Revenue Code (MLRC). As per the proposed amendment, if a defaulting builder lacks sufficient company assets to clear the dues, the liability can extend to the personal property of its directors or partners. Currently, the SRA can issue stop-work notices or deny new permissions to a defaulting developer. The bill also seeks to reduce the window for dissenting slum dwellers to join the SRA schemes - from 120 days to 60 days - once a majority (over 50 per cent) has consented to a redevelopment plan. After 60 days, those who do not join the scheme risk losing their .

Maharashtra govt tables bill to amend slum act, enable SRA to recover dues

The Maharashtra government on Tuesday tabled a bill in the state assembly that proposes to amend the law concerning slum redevelopment, allowing the Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) to recover pending transit rent dues from builders or developers. The bill seeks to amend the Maharashtra Slum Area (Improvement, Clearance and Redevelopment) Act, 1971. It also seeks to treat unpaid rent to slum dwellers as arrears of land revenue, thereby empowering the SRA to initiate recovery proceedings under the Maharashtra Land Revenue Code (MLRC). "The SRA hopes that the amendments will help fast-track its projects and also ensure slum dwellers are not left in the lurch without their rightful rent," an official said. As per the proposed amendment, if a defaulting builder lacks sufficient company assets to clear the dues, the liability can extend to the personal property of its directors or partners. Currently, the SRA can issue stop-work notices or deny new permissions to defaulter developer.

What is the Dharavi master plan and why residents fear it | Dharavi redevelopment | Maha govt

The Maharashtra government has cleared the ₹95,790 crore Dharavi Redevelopment Master Plan, aiming to transform Asia’s largest slum by 2032. But as the state promises a cleaner, greener future

Demolition drive in Madrasi Camp in Delhi's Jangpura after Delhi HC order

The demolition comes after the Delhi High Court ordered the rehabilitation of the Madrasi Camp dwellers, saying it was essential for the de-clogging of the Barapullah drain

Cluster redevelopment in Mumbai races against time amid red tape

While the Maharashtra government has been promoting the scheme since 2018, it recently called for an audit of 13,000 cessed buildings in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region to ensure timely redevelopment

Dharavi Redevelopment Project completes over 50,000 door-to-door surveys

The Dharavi Redevelopment Project (DRP) notched up a major milestone on Wednesday by completing over 50,000 door-to-door surveys which is the highest in Mumbai Slum Rehabilitation Authority's (SRA) history. "This is a record milestone for Mumbai SRA. This progress is a big boost for the survey teams and Dharavi residents, who are eager for the redevelopment to move forward. Their active participation shows their commitment to Asia's largest slum rehabilitation survey," a DRP official said. The survey is essential to decide on those eligible for rehabilitation under the Dharavi redevelopment project. Teams are working to complete this extensive survey. The DRP CEO, SVR Srinivas, recently urged all Dharavikars to participate in the survey so that no one is left out of the housing plan. As per the latest survey figures, numbering has been completed for 85,000 tenements, while over 50,000 tenements have undergone door-to-door surveys. "If you fully consider the complexity, precision a

Illegal migration reshaping Delhi: What the report reveals

A new report by Jawaharlal Nehru University has highlighted the significant impact of illegal migration from Bangladesh and Myanmar on Delhi’s social, political, and economic landscape.

Centre demolished 12 slums in Delhi in past 2 years: Saurabh Bhardwaj

Bhardwaj, the sitting MLA, is contesting against BJP's Shikha Rai and Congress' Garvit Singhvi from the Greater Kailash assembly seat

Dharavi redevelopment project to transform realty in nearby areas too

Developers banking on its strategic location and improved connectivity

Dharavi redevelopment project caught in Maharashtra's poll crossfire

Oppn parties threaten to scrap India's largest real estate redevelopment project

Groundbreaking ceremony for Dharavi redevelopment performed at RPF grounds

The Dharavi Redevelopment Project Pvt Ltd (DRPPL), the firm redeveloping Asia's largest slums, on Thursday performed the groundbreaking ceremony (Bhoomi Poojan) of the Dharavi redevelopment project at the RPF grounds in Matunga. The pooja, conducted in an area called Sector 6, marks the auspicious beginning of the construction of Railway's staff quarters and offices to be handed over to the government, as mandated in the Dharavi Redevelopment tender documents, sources said. Already, the state government-led door-to-door survey to determine eligible and ineligible residents is on with an idea to speed up the redevelopment and to ensure inclusive development. The DRPPL, which is a joint venture between the state government and the Adani Group, has also moved in the direction envisaged by the Maharashtra government, which is on a mission to make Mumbai a slum-free city by 2030. Mapping of the roughly 600 acres of densely populated Dharavi is crucial for the redevelopment that is likel

Adani's Dharavi slum revamp struggles to secure land in potential setback

The project, which aims to rehouse a million people, is a critical and high-profile project for Adani

Strict implementation of redevelopment act could make Mumbai slum-free: HC

The Bombay High Court on Friday said the vision should be to make Mumbai a slum-free city and raised concerns about the plight of slum dwellers who become "victims at the hands of private developers". A division bench of Justices G S Kulkarni and Somasekhar Sunderesan emphasised the need for strict and robust implementation of the Maharashtra Slum Area (Improvement, Clearance and Redevelopment) Act. "Vision is to have Mumbai, which is considered an international city and the financial capital of our country, slum-free. We need to have an absolutely slum-free city. This Act will help that vision," the court said. The bench said the implementation of provisions of the Act lies with the government as the mandate lies with them. The bench was set up last week to undertake a "performance audit" of the Act pursuant to the Supreme Court's directives in July. The apex court had raised concerns about the working of the Act. The high court, on Friday, stressed the need for sustainable ...

Major fire breaks out in local slum cluster in Gurugram, 65 shanties gutted

About 65 shanties were gutted after a major fire broke out in local slum cluster in sector 65 here on Saturday, a fire official said. Initial investigations have revealed the cause of the fire was a cooking gas leakage, the official said. According to police, a fire broke out in the sector 65 area around 10 am. Five fire engines were immediately pressed into the service, they said, adding that the blaze was brought under control but 65 shanties were gutted. There were no casualties or burn injuries reported, the police said. After receiving the information, DCP South Siddhant Jain and his team reached the spot and evacuated many people, including small children, from the shanties. A senior police officer said these shanties were built by three persons -- Ombir, Shyambir and Sagar, residents of Ramgarh village -- who later handed them over to contractor Hamid, a native of West Bengal. Hamid used to rent out these shanties to migrants, charging Rs 1,500 to Rs 3,000 per month, the ..

How 'Guru Gary' is using cricket to keep slum kids away from drugs

Notorious for drugs and crime and afflicted by large-scale poverty, the Khayelitsha township here is better known for being one of the biggest slums on the planet. But World Cup-winning coach Gary Kirsten is attempting to change the image for good through cricket. The idea struck him when he returned to his home here after guiding India to a World Cup title in 2011. "When I came back from India, I wanted to have a look at cricket in our poorest neighbourhoods in Cape Town," Kirsten recalled in an interview with PTI. He ended up touring Khayelitsha, situated 30km south-east of Cape Town and considered one of the most unsafe areas where a majority of the inhabitants still live in shacks. "I took a tour of the area with local school authorities and found that no cricket was happening which disappointed me a lot. I thought of this centre and we started with two concrete nets in two schools and then included three more schools," Kirsten said. What ultimately shaped up was the Catch Tru

BJP-led central government wants to demolish all slums in Delhi: AAP

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Friday alleged the BJP-led central government wants to demolish all slums in Delhi. Addressing a press conference, Delhi ministers Atishi and Saurabh Bharadwaj said slums in the national capital are being demolished "in an inhuman manner" without rehabilitating the affected slum dwellers. Atishi alleged that in a meeting on January 9, the Centre directed land-owning agencies like the Delhi Development Authority and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi to clear all slum clusters in the city. In November, a slum cluster between Sundar Nursery and Delhi Public School inhabited by about 1,000 to 1,500 people, most of whom worked as ragpickers, street hawkers, maids and labourers, was demolished following a court's order. The slum dwellers had claimed that they were asked to vacate their houses in two days with no offer from the government for relocation.

Dharavi Redevelopment Project: Adani group signs planner, designer up

DRPPL is a joint venture between Adani Properties and Mumbai's Slum Rehabilitation Authority

Slums in the urban ecosystem

While posing a complex challenge, slums also offer a unique opportunity for morally and economically imperative urban development